Chapter 1 - Prelude To Disaster

"Hey, look over there." A young woman whispers to her sisters as the three of them kneel behind a dense bush. "Ha, we're in luck, this is the biggest boar I've seen in a long time. Rose, give me the bow."

Rose, a fair skinned, blonde girl in her mid twenties, hands the weapon to her older sister, Amelia.

As she draws an arrow, her short, messy blonde hair catches the sunlight and Rose turns to her younger sister and says, "Might want to close your eyes Ev."

Evelyn shakes her head and says, "No, this is part of life and I have to accept it."

Rose smiles and nods as Amelia releases the arrow and it sinks into the boar's neck. The animal runs for a minute before bleeding out and after catching up, the girls inspect their catch.

"Oh wow, this will be enough for everyone in the village!" Evelyn exclaims.

Amelia sighs and says, "Yeah, but how are we supposed to haul it back?"

After some thought, the girls decide to tie ropes to its legs and drag it back home. Rose and Amelia each grab a rope and Evelyn pushes the carcass from behind.

"Ugh, this is so heavy." Evelyn whines.

"Suck it up, it'll be worth it when we're relaxing by the fire with a full belly." Amelia grunts as her and Rose struggle to pull the dead weight.

"At least the elder will be happy, the village has been so low on food the last few years, and the land has been barren for even longer than that. It's kind of scary, what happens when there's no more food?" Rose ponders out loud.

"Didn't know you were such a downer Rose." Amelia laughs.

"It's true though, it seems like there's less to go around everyday. I hope Eris returns soon." Evelyn says with a concerned look on her face.

"Ha, don't get your hopes up, Eris is a goddess, it's not like she'll help us." Amelia says scoffing at the idea.

"Don't say that Amelia, I'm sure Eris has a good reason why she isn't helping us like she used to." Evelyn says.

Amelia responds, "Yeah, she doesn't care anymore. Like it or not, we're on our own. Praying to a goddess that hasn't even shown her face in hundreds of years is a waste of time."

"Hey, that's enough Amelia. Take it easy." Rose says and Amelia turns to see Evelyn on the brink of tears.

Amelia sighs and says, "It's good to have faith, just make sure you believe in something real. Something you can see and feel for yourself."

Amelia smiles at Evelyn and she lightens up.

"Hey, when we get back can we..." Evelyn's words are cut short by an arrow screaming past and landing a few feet behind Rose.

"Halt!" A commanding voice bellows from behind the trees.

A man steps out accompanied by several others, all wearing dark red armor and carrying weapons.

"What are Ryders doing here? This is Alissian land." Amelia asks.

The man laughs and steps forward as he says, "We're scouting out the enemy lines and I have to say, your defenses are atrocious. We've gone unnoticed for so long, the main army must be at the border by now."

"What? Are you really declaring war after all these years of peace?" Rose asks.

The man scowls and yells, "Peace!? You Alissians have only ever known the peace that was possible because of the Ryder empire! Six hundred years ago, after the first convergence, Rydell rose from the ashes of civilization and drove the monster hordes back into the wilds. Without us, your way of life wouldn't even be possible, but do Alissian warriors take responsibility and join our fight? No, you've squandered your own resources and now your kingdom lies on the brink of collapse. The almighty King Erimon has decided that if Alissi will not aid us, then they are an enemy of Rydell and must be eliminated."

"What madness is this?" Amelia shouts but one of the men hits her in the stomach.

He holds her down on her knees and says, "Think we should lock them up captain? The boys could use some stress relief."

The men laugh and their leader says, "Fine, just be ready to leave on a moment's notice, we march on Alissi as soon as reinforcements arrive. I want all of you ready to siege the city by nightfall."

The captain gives a final glance toward the girls before he walks away and the men move in. Amelia bites the man holding her and lunges for another as he falls back clutching his hand.

"You'd best calm down before I get jumpy, little girl." One of the larger men says as he holds a small knife to Evelyn's throat.

Evelyn's frail body trembles and tears stream down her small face as the muscular man tightly holds her shoulder.

"You bastard, if you hurt..." Amelia's voice fades as one of the men hits her in the back of the head with a rock and she falls to the ground.

"Amelia!" Rose yells just before one of the men hits her in the stomach.

She collapses, and the three girls are taken into the forest. The Ryders have set up a small campsite in the woods, complete with a makeshift wooden cage. As the sun begins to sink behind the trees, Rose, Amelia, and Evelyn are thrown inside and the door is locked with a thick chain and metal lock.

"Are you ok Amelia?" Evelyn asks as Amelia comes to and rubs her head.

"I'm fine, but when I get out I'm gonna kill every last one of..." Amelia begins.

Rose interrupts her and says, "We need to get out of here and warn Alissi. If the Ryders attack without warning, the city will be taken over."

"All those innocent people, how are we going to get out?" Evelyn asks fearfully.

Amelia smiles as she says, "You still have that hairpin grandmother gave you?"

Evelyn nods and takes the silver hairpin out, letting her long blonde hair flow freely. Amelia takes the hairpin and begins trying to get the lock open with out being discovered. Occasionally a soldier or two pass by but fortunately, they seem to be preoccupied with their duties for now.

"Did you get it?" Evelyn whispers as she darts her eyes around looking for soldiers.

"It's a lot harder since it's on the other side, I can't really see what I'm doing. Just give me a minute." Amelia says in a hushed voice as she struggles with the lock.

As night falls, Amelia finally gets the lock open and says, "Let's go now, before they try anything."

Rose nods and takes Evelyn's hand as Amelia silently opens the cage door and the girls sneak out into the moonlit forest. The trio begin to run after Amelia says they are far enough away but after a short time, Evelyn needs to rest.

"Are they really going to war with Alissi?" Evelyn asks as the girls stop to catch their breath.

"Ryders have been found at the border recently and if they're this close, then I'd say yes." Amelia replies.

"Why would they do this? They've been fighting the monsters for so long, do they even have the troops to attack another kingdom directly?" Rose asks.

Amelia shakes her head and says, "That's just it, they've been fighting for so long it's in their blood. A single Ryder soldier probably has more combat experience than a whole detachment of Alissians. It's like that guy said, Alissi really hasn't had to fight very much. Regardless, let's keep moving, we can figure this out later."

The girls resume their journey, stopping once more so Evelyn can catch her breath, and when they finally emerge from the trees, they see the city of Alissi in the distance, the moonlight reflecting off the ocean behind the large stone walls.

"Come on." Amelia says as she heads for the city.

Upon arriving at the gates, Amelia pounds on the heavy wooden doors and a guard appears on top of the wall next to the gate.

"Afraid the gates are closed for the night girls, come back tomorrow." The guard says between yawns.

"Open the gates, we have information about the Ryders!" Rose pleads.

The guard stumbles and says, "R-ryders? Fine I'll open the gate, wait a moment."

The guard climbs down from the wall and inspects the three sisters before he says, "Alright, I don't see any of those weird brands, I suppose you're alright. So what's this about Ryders then?"

"They have a camp in the forest and they said they're coming here with reinforcements!" Rose explains.

Amelia says, "Let us speak with the Queen, surely she would know..."

The guard cuts her off and says, "Absolutely not, I don't see any brands, but I can't let just anyone see Queen Seraphina."

The guard is adamant but before Amelia can protest Rose says, "Can you give us your word that the Queen will be informed? Not later, but right now?"

The guard nods and says, "I will deliver the message personally, you have my word."

Amelia looks unsatisfied but Rose puts her hand on Amelia's shoulder and says, "We've warned them, that's all we can do for now. Let's find somewhere to rest."

Amelia looks at Evelyn and sees she is exhausted from running.

"Ok I'll get us a room." Amelia says.

Rose replies, "Then I'll buy some food and meet you at the inn."

Rose turns to walk away and Amelia says, "Rose... uh, nevermind."

Rose laughs and says, "Were you going to tell me to be careful? Aww, don't worry big sis."

Amelia's face reddens with embarrassment and she says, "Shut up, I was gonna say get me some ale."

Evelyn giggles and follows Amelia as Rose wanders off in search of food.

A short time later Rose returns to the inn with food and after eating, Amelia says, "I'm gonna get some sleep."

"What? What if the Ryders come?" Evelyn asks looking over her shoulder as if they could burst in at any moment.

"Don't worry, we already warned the guards. If something happens, we'll hear it, we're not that far from the gates." Rose reassures her.

Evelyn looks scared but concedes, and she lays down on the bed. Amelia sits down on a chair and puts her feet on a small table before she folds her arms and closes her eyes. The bed is big enough that all three girls could fit, but Amelia has always been like this, silently going without so her sisters could enjoy what few comforts remain. Rose climbs into bed next to her younger sister and soon her world fades to black. A few hours later, an explosion rocks the entire city and the girls jump out of bed.

"Is it the Ryders?" Evelyn says fearfully.

Rose takes her hand and smiles as she says, "Amelia and I will keep you safe, just stick close ok?"

Evelyn hesitantly nods and follows her sisters outside. The gates are on fire and there is a huge hole in the stone wall that surrounds the city. Some of the buildings are on fire as well and rubble clutters the streets. Having never experienced something like this before, the girls are frozen for a moment, the chaos of screams and crackling fires reaching intolerable levels before Amelia snaps back to reality.

The sounds of men yelling and swords clashing can be heard clearly from the other side of the gate as a guard takes an arrow to the chest and falls from the top of the wall with a sickening thud. Suddenly, another explosion sends tremors throughout the city as the old wooden gates shatter. Flaming debris is sent flying everywhere and Amelia grabs her sisters and turns her back to the gates, shielding Rose and Evelyn. A long sliver of wood embeds itself in Amelia's left arm and she winces in pain. She quickly pulls the splinter of wood from her arm and flexes it, testing the mobility.

Seeing her sisters faces, Amelia says, "Don't worry, it's nothing."

Amelia pulls Rose and Evelyn into a nearby building and watches as Ryder soldiers pour in through the open gates and overwhelm the Alissians.

"This is bad, we have to get out of here." Amelia says looking for a way out.

Rose says, "We have to make sure the Queen is alright, if she dies, what would happen to Alissi?"

Amelia scowls and says, "God damn Ryders... alright, let's get to the palace and after we check on the Queen, we're leaving got it?"

Rose and Evelyn nod in unison and the three sisters quietly make their way to the royal palace. They quickly move from one building to the next, avoiding the growing number of battles taking place in the streets. Finally, the girls make it to the courtyard in front of the palace.

"Wait, look." Rose says as she stops Amelia and points towards the royal chambers.

The opulent palace has a balcony overlooking the courtyard and through the opening, a struggle can be seen.

"Oh no..." Rose says as she covers her mouth and watches as Queen Seraphina is dragged onto the balcony by her long black hair.

"Alissians, your fight is over, your lives are forfeit, and..." The man takes a knife from the sheathe on his hip and places it against Queen Seraphina's throat. "Your Queen is dead!"

The man yells as he slices the Queen's throat and her blood sprays onto the railing. He viciously cuts into the woman's tender flesh until her body goes limp and falls on the balcony, blood now pouring down to the street below. The man proudly holds her head into the air and lets out a bloodthirsty roar.

Rose holds Evelyn tightly as the young girl sobs and Amelia gits her teeth and says, "They'll pay for this."

She grabs Rose and Evelyn and leads them to one of the smaller side gates. As the gates creak open, Alissian guards round a corner and see the girls trying to escape.

"It's them! They brought the Ryders, get them!" The guards yell.

Rose wants to explain but Amelia grabs her and begins to run. Evelyn and Rose can barely keep up, Amelia has always been more athletic, but they do their best until Evelyn trips and falls.

"Ow." Evelyn cries.

Amelia crouches down, picks her up, and says, "Sorry, didn't mean to make you fall but we can't stay here."

Evelyn wraps her arms around Amelia's neck, but as she stands up, a massive orb of fire flies into the sky.

"They brought mages too, this really is war." Amelia says as the sphere lazily floats above the battlefield and illuminates the area.

"Over there! Alissians are trying to escape!" A voice calls out from the distance.

Rose looks and sees a large group of Ryder soldiers approaching from the forest and Alissian soldiers chasing them from the city.

"Run!" Amelia yells as she carries Evelyn and dashes into the woods.

The girls spend hours running, hiding, and slowly draining their stamina before Amelia says, "I think we lost them."

Evelyn looks up and says, "Are you sure?"

Rose nods and says, "The Alissians wouldn't chase us too far, not with the city under siege."

Amelia nods and says, "I don't think the Ryders will come this far after such a fierce battle either, at least not yet."

Evelyn grabs onto Amelia's waist and hugs her tightly, trying her best to hold back her tears.

Amelia is caught off guard, but smiles and says, "Don't worry, you have two big sisters, and neither of us would ever let anything happen to you."

Evelyn's hand brushes against Amelia's wound and she quickly reaches for the small pouch attached to her hip.

Evelyn rolls up Amelia's sleeve as Amelia says, "What are you doing? I'm fine really."

Evelyn pulls a small roll of bandages from her pouch and says, "I was really good at this in school, even though the blood made me a little sick. It might not be bad now but you don't want it to get infected, at least let me wrap it."

Amelia sighs and says, "Fine."

Evelyn quickly bandages Amelia's upper arm and then says, "Well?"

Amelia flexes and stretches her arm before saying, "You are good at this, it's tight but I can still move freely, nice job."

Evelyn smiles and sits next to Amelia as Rose scoots closer and puts her arm around Evelyn. The girls sit against a tree and gaze into the night sky, occasionally hearing screams echo through the woods before they are cut short.. Eventually, the sun emerges from beyond the horizon and breaks the ominous darkness as the girls look at each other, all thinking the same thing: 'What do we do now?'

Chapter 2 - Divine Encounter

"Where are we?" Evelyn asks looking around.

"I'm not sure, we ran for a long time last night." Amelia replies.

Rose sees the concern in Evelyn's face and she says, "At least we're together, we'll find our way out soon enough."

The girls begin walking through the forest and eventually come to a mossy, broken stone wall.

"What is this? It looks ancient, but almost like the walls around Alissi." Rose concludes after examining the broken stones.

"There used to be more cities, a long time ago. Then the first convergence happened and about a hundred and fifty years after that the second one came along. They say almost all of humanity was wiped out." Amelia explains.

Evelyn seems intrigued and asks, "Really? So what that man said was true, about them fighting monsters?"

Amelia sighs and says, "Didn't they teach you this in school? Why do you remember the medical training but not history? The convergence took pieces of our world, Rhea, and left pieces of other worlds in their place. The monsters came from one of the other worlds, maybe more than one now that I think about it, and with most of the humans dead, they almost took over the entire world. Ryders eventually learned how to fight the monsters and pushed them back to the western desert, but it was too far from their kingdom to maintain, so they founded Gracia as a foothold to kill the monsters once and for all. The second convergence cut off Rydell from Gracia and they eventually claimed independence after Rydell basically abandoned them."

"That's so sad, then what about Alissi?" Evelyn asks, engrossed in the story.

Rose laughs and says, "Amelia's right, you need to pay more attention in school. Two hundred years after the second convergence, people from Gracia and Rydell got fed up with the constant fighting and came east to start their own city. It was tough at first, neither empire wanted to acknowledge Alissi as a kingdom, but our economy was thriving and they didn't have a choice if they wanted to survive. Alissi was the main source of food for all of the kingdoms, because our lands were least affected by the destruction from the convergence, but eventually most of the land became barren and food began to dwindle over the years."

"But if Alissi is giving food to the Ryders, why would they attack?" Evelyn wonders.

Amelia shrugs and says, "Maybe they felt like it wasn't enough, who knows, Ryders have always been strange like that. They even brand their warriors, did you see the mark on the captain's neck when we were caught in the forest?"

Evelyn shakes her head and says, "No, I wasn't really looking."

Amelia smiles and says, "Hey for only being eleven, I think you're handling everything pretty well."

Evelyn lowers her head and says, "I'm really scared though, what if the Ryders came through our village?"

"Burket is out of the way, especially if the Ryders went straight to Alissi. I'm sure everything's fine back home, mom and dad are probably worried though, we've been gone longer than usual." Rose says cheerfully and Evelyn smiles.

"Alright, enough sitting around, let's get out of this forest and find our way back to Burket." Amelia says as she stands up and stretches out.

"How's your knee Ev?" Rose asks.

"It's ok now, Amelia carried me here so I feel fine." Evelyn responds.

"Good then let's go." Amelia says leading the way through the dense trees.

A few minutes later, the girls stand before a clearing and Rose says, "Those look like buildings, this must be one of the cities destroyed in the convergence. The entire city has been retaken by plants, if I didn't know people died here, this would be really pretty."

Evelyn nods and says, "Yeah, I can't imagine Alissi looking like this, it's kind of creepy."

Amelia looks around and says, "Come on, this place has been abandoned for hundreds of years but monsters may still be around."

As the girls make their way across the overgrown city square, Rose hears something coming from a nearby building.
"What was that?" Rose asks as she turns towards the noise.

"I didn't hear anything." Amelia replies.

"Listen." Rose says and the girls stand in silence for a moment before they hear a voice.

The walls prevent them from hearing the words clearly, but a feminine voice is definitely saying something.

"There's someone in there!" Rose says as she begins to look for the entrance.

Amelia puts her hand on Rose's shoulder and says, "Wait, why would someone be here? This doesn't feel right."

Rose looks back and says, "Maybe someone else escaped Alissi last night. It was dark, so we wouldn't have seen them."

Amelia is hesitant but Rose is just that kind of person, always willing to help.

Amelia steps in front of Rose and with a sigh she says, "Fine, but I'm going in first."

Evelyn and Rose follow Amelia around the building and enter through a broken wall on the ground floor. Most of the roof collapsed into the building and only parts of the structure remain accessible, but a small stairway leading underground glows with the faint light of a fire against the dimly lit interior.

Amelia looks back to see if her sisters still want to continue and although they look a bit scared, they both nod. The girls slowly descend the stairs and emerge in a moderately sized basement. The faint light from the only lit torch along the walls hardly illuminates the room, but another source of light can be seen from behind dusty shelving packed with crates of all sizes.

Amelia leads her sisters around the tall wooden shelves and they see a woman lying on the ground. Her elegant, pure white hair is very long, almost down to her knees, and when Rose rushes over to help her up, she gasps in shock. Amelia and Evelyn walk around and recognize her as Eris as they too gasp in shock.

"It's just a coincidence, right? It couldn't possibly..." Rose's words trail off as the woman opens her light blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" Rose manages to say as her sisters watch the woman rise to her feet.

Without her long hair covering it, they see her beautiful short white dress that looks like something a royal would wear, complete with jeweled bracelets and a small golden necklace. She looks to be about in her late twenties, around the same age as Amelia. Her tanned skin starkly contrasts her pale dress and bright white hair.

The woman smiles and says, "Please, staring has always made me uncomfortable."

The girls all look down and Rose says, "We weren't trying to stare, it's just... you look just like the statues of Eris, you know, the goddess?"

The woman giggles and says in a matter of fact tone, "That's because I am Eris."

"What?" Amelia bursts out.

Rose asks, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Eris laughs and says, "Yes, I'm fine. I just used a lot of energy to come here, that's all."

"I don't believe you. Why would you show her face here and now?" Amelia says as Rose sees her tense up like she does before a fight.

"Want me to prove it?" Eris says with a sly smile.

"Yeah, show us!" Evelyn says misreading the situation.

"I don't have much energy left, but I came here to find the dark crystal. When I find it, my powers will return and I can prove it to you." Eris explains.

"Dark crystal? What nonsense is that?" Amelia scoffs.

Rose nudges her with her elbow before whispering, "Let it go, maybe she hit her head or something."

"It's not nonsense, it's the power of creation split into four divine crystals. Fire, ice, light, and dark." Eris says holding up four fingers for emphasis.

"The dark crystal was the only one close enough to get to with the amount of power I had left. It should be here somewhere." Eris explains as she looks around before asking, "Can you hand me one of those torches?"

Rose grabs a torch from the nearby wall and offers it to Eris.

"Just hold it up right there." Eris says as she raises her hand and touches the tip.

Her slender fingers begin to glow, and to the girls amazement, tiny flames begin swirling around Eris's fingertips. The flames slowly ignite the torch and Eris lowers her hand, the flames simply disappearing from her hand.

"Was that magic?" Evelyn asks beaming with excitement.

Eris smiles and says, "Yes, but I'm afraid that will have to suffice for now until I have the dark crystal."

Eris laughs it off as Rose and Amelia share a confused look.

"Ok now hold that light up high." Eris says and Rose holds raises torch into the air.

The room is just as visible as when she lit it, and Rose feels a bit awkward holding the torch so oddly.

"There it is!" Eris exclaims, pointing to a crate that is unusually dark, almost as if the light from the torch isn't reaching it somehow.

"What is that?" Amelia asks.

"The dark crystal absorbs light, putting it in a box isn't going to stop it." Eris explains.

Eris opens the crate and the light from the torch suddenly gets much smaller.

"Alright, I have it, let's get out of here." Eris says.

The girls follow Eris back upstairs and out into the clearing.

"I have a question for you." Amelia says turning to Eris. "What happened to the land? People say you used to bless the land and that made it fertile, but now no food will grow and now people are starting to starve. Why is it that only grass and trees will grow but nothing we can eat?"

Her frustration at recent events boiling over, she continues, "Alissi has fallen to Rydell, they killed the Queen last night! How can you be so cheery?"

Eris gets a serious look on her face as she says, "A tragedy, but you'll have to excuse me if I'm trying to prevent something far worse."

"Worse? What's worse than the three remaining kingdoms warring with each other as the monsters just wait for their chance?" Amelia yells.

Eris calmly replies, "The third convergence."

"What!? A-are you sure?" Rose asks fearfully and Eris nods.

"It will be upon us very soon, I'm sure of it. I've been trying to reach the monoliths around the world to stop the cycle, but I used too much power and needed this to give me strength." Eris says as she holds up the dark crystal.

"What the hell?" Amelia says as she gazes into the pitch black sphere in Eris' palm.

The surface is perfectly smooth, although it doesn't shine at all even in the daylight, it's like looking into an endless void. Eris holds the crystal up and Evelyn gasps as the center of her chest twists in on itself and a hole the size of the crystalline sphere opens up. The crystal floats out of Eris's hand and embeds itself into her flesh, sinking deeper until it is completely inside her. The hole closes up as quickly as it appeared and after it's gone, the skin looks completely unharmed.

Eris notices Evelyn's concerned expression and smiles as she says, "Don't worry, it didn't hurt and now I can use my powers again."

Evelyn seems relieved and Rose says, "So you're going to the, monoliths? Those huge monuments?"

Eris nods and says, "They are the key to preventing the convergence from repeating itself. If I can't activate them in time, all of Rhea will be destroyed."

"What do you mean all of Rhea? How many of those monoliths are there?" Amelia asks concernedly.

"Four, but if I only had another crystal, I might be able to get to them all." Eris says looking defeated already.

"Is there any way we can help?" Rose asks without a second thought.

Eris smiles and says, "Well, maybe if you three went to the eastern monolith, I could get to the rest myself."

"Of course, but, what are we supposed to do when we get there? How do we activate it?" Rose inquires.

Amelia says, "Wait, who decided we're going?"

Evelyn tugs on Amelia's shirt and says, "Come on, please? I want to help Eris too."

Amelia sighs and says "Rose's personality is starting to rub off on you, great."

Eris walks over and puts her hands on either side of Rose's face.

"What are you doing?" Amelia asks in concern.

Eris giggles and says, "I'm giving her a tiny bit of my power, just enough to activate the monolith. All she has to do is reach out and touch it, easy right?"

Rose's light blue eyes gaze at the goddess until Eris's bright pink eyes begin to glow. Eris looks surprised for a moment and then smiles as her eyes fade to their normal hue.

"Something wrong?" Rose asks.

Eris replies, "No, all done."

Eris backs away and says, "I appreciate you girls helping me. Hopefully everything goes as planned, right?"

Eris laughs as she walks off leaving the girls in confusion.

"Hey, get back here! You didn't answer any of my questions, don't just walk away!" Amelia yells, realizing Eris is leaving.

Eris doesn't turn around but says, "Hurry along now, you have an important duty."

Amelia grits her teeth and turns back to her sisters as they try to plan their next move.

"Ok then, if we're going to the eastern monolith, that means we have to go past Alissi. What should we do?" Rose thinks aloud.

"The Alissians have a fortress a little further north. If we head that way, we could turn east again and we should end up a little more than halfway to the monolith, at least that would let us bypass Alissi. It's a long detour, but without allies, going near the city right now would be suicide. Let's just hope news of the Queen's death hasn't reached the fortress yet." Amelia says also thinking out loud.

"Why did the guards chase us last night? We came there to warn them about the attack." Evelyn asks.

Amelia sighs and says, "When people get scared, they stop thinking. People are capable of terrible things if they can't control themselves. If they're still alive, they probably regret treating us like that."

Amelia was trying to be kind in her own way but Evelyn looks very sad now and Rose elbows Amelia before saying, "What's wrong with you? You couldn't just end on a happy note, you had to say, 'If they're alive'? You know how Ev is..."

Evelyn sniffs and wipes a tear from her eye before saying "No, I'm ok, it's sad but I have to be strong and help Eris too."

Amelia sighs and says, "Sorry Ev, I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, let's get going."

The girls trek through the overgrown city and head north through the dense forest that surrounds the ruins. The path beyond the city is rugged with several fallen trees and steep hills forcing the girls to be extra cautious. Stopping for a short break, Amelia spots a snake and slowly moves closer while drawing her knife.

"What is it?" Evelyn says fearfully but Rose sees it too and quiets her sister.

Amelia raises her knife and stabs it through the snake's head as it slithers along a tree branch. Its body writhes for a few moments before it goes limp and Amelia withdraws her knife.

She brings the snake back and Evelyn says, "Eww, does it at least taste good?"

Amelia laughs and says, "Tastes better than nothing."

Rose gets a small fire going while Amelia skins and prepares the snake. The meat doesn't take long to cook and after taking a hesitant bite, Evelyn's face lights up.

"This is actually good!" Evelyn cheers.

Rose laughs and quickly finishes her portion, tired from her long night. After eating, the girls rest for a few minutes before resuming their journey.

As they walk, Amelia hears the faint clashing of swords and says, "Stay close, I think someone's up ahead."

The clashes become louder until Rose sees movement beyond the trees. The girls cautiously approach and hide themselves behind a large tree as they peek around and try to glimpse who is fighting. A muscular man about six and a half feet tall, wearing full Alissian armor seems to be training a woman, although she is quite skilled and is slowly outpacing him. Unfortunately, she is also wearing a helmet so both their identities remain obscured.

The woman is wearing a light blue and grey dress and from the look of it, she is a noble. Watching the woman fight, Rose can't help but feel like she knows who it is. The sisters watch for a few more minutes as the two warriors clash and just as the woman is about to strike, Evelyn moves to get a better view and steps on a branch.

The cracking sound draws the Alissians attention and the man yells, "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

Rose raises her hands and starts to walk around the tree as Amelia says, "What are you doing?"

Rose smiles and says, "If we run now, they'll think we're enemies. Come on Ev, put your hands up like this and follow me, everything will be ok."

Before Amelia can protest, Rose and Evelyn emerge form the forest and Amelia follows.

"This isn't a place for commoners, why have you come all the way out here? Speak, before..." The man begins.

He is quickly interrupted by the woman who says, "Enough Torq, is that you Rose, and Amelia? Is that little Ev?"

The woman removes her helmet and lets her long black hair free. Her soft green eyes and caring expression only add to her beauty.

Rose breathes a sigh of relief as she says, "You almost scared us to death Gisele! I'm so glad you're alright!"

The reality of what has transpired finally hits Rose and she rushes toward Gisele. Moving much faster than he did when he was sparring with Gisele, Torq gets between Rose and Gisele just before they meet.

"Torq! I'll not have you treat my dear friend in such an unsightly manner. Move aside at once." Gisele says with a scowl.

Torq steps aside and removes his helmet, revealing a balding man in his forties. His mustache is blonde, like what little hair he has left on his head. His green eyes are fixed on Amelia, seeing her as the greatest threat. Rose cautiously approaches but Gisele walks forward and embraces her friend. Rose begins to sob and tightly hugs Gisele back as Amelia and Evelyn come closer.

"I have known Rose since we were children, and these are her sisters. They would never do anything to harm me, so if you are unpleasant to any of them, you will answer to me." Gisele says.

Torq stands at attention and gives a salute as he says, "Understood, I will treat them all as your guests."

"I'm sorry girls, but I take my duties very seriously. My name is Torq Thoreton, knight of Alissi and retainer to princess Gisele, please forgive my rudeness." Torq says with a goofy smile as he bows.

Amelia sighs and says, "We have names you know."

"Amelia let's all get along ok? I'm Rose, and this is Evelyn." Rose says introducing her sisters.

"What beautiful names, but if you've come all this way, you must be exhausted. Come, let us return to the barracks, Risae should have prepared a meal by now. Eat and then we can speak." Torq says in a booming voice.

Gisele laughs before saying, "That sounds lovely, I have a few things to see to, so eat plenty and then we'll catch up."

Rose wants to tell Gisele about Alissi now, but Amelia sees it in her eyes and says, "It won't change anything if we eat a little before we talk, right?"

She turns Rose slightly so she can see Evelyn holding her stomach with one arm.

"Yeah, let's eat. You hungry too Ev?" Rose asks and Evelyn excitedly nods with a smile.

Torq lets out a thunderous laugh, which causes everyone else to join in as well.

"This fortress is the headquarters of the Alissian army, and although it is the only such fortress in Alissian territory, it has served its purpose well for many generations." Torq explains as he leads everyone inside and then says, "Go on ahead my lady, I'll see to your guests."

Gisele smiles and walks down the hall and into a door. Torq motions for the girls to enter the nearby room and opens the door for them. The girls walk in and see it is a mess hall, albeit, a small one.

"Hey old man, did you move the salt again?" A young woman says from behind the counter as she rummages through a cupboard.

"Risae, we have guests, friends of the princess no less. Do mind your manners." Torq says putting a hand to his forehead.

Risae pops her head above the counter and her bright pink eyes stare at Rose and her sisters. Risae has messy, light blue hair down to her shoulders and she looks to be in her early twenties.

"Hiya! I'm Risae Asher, nice to meet ya!" Risae says hopping over the counter and extending her hand.

Rose smiles and shakes Risae's hand as Torq says, "What kind of greeting was that? These are the princess's..."

Amelia pats Torq on the shoulder and says, "It's like you said, we're commoners, so stuff like this is normal for us."

Torq looks uncomfortable and says, "Forgive me, I shouldn't have said that. One's upbringing is hardly a choice and it has no bearing on one's character. I am ashamed to admit, I am an abhorrent example of a knight."

Now Amelia looks uncomfortable as she says, "Lighten up it was a joke."

The sight of Amelia trying to comfort such a large man makes Evelyn giggle.

"See everything's ok, but I still need that salt, so where'd you put it baldy?" Risae says with a big grin.

"It's on the top shelf, where it always is, and stop calling me bald!" Torq says before storming off.

Risae laughs as she says, "I love giving him a hard time, he makes it so easy. So you girls hungry?"

"Yeah, we haven't eaten anything except that snake." Evelyn cheers.

Risae quickly turns around and says, "You didn't eat the eyes did you?"

Evelyn shakes her head and Risae leans down close to her.

"Good because I heard, if you eat the eyes and then go to sleep... They come out your nose!" Risae exclaims, gesturing with her fingers.

Evelyn thinks this is hilarious and laughs for the next few minutes every time Risae tells the same joke slightly different.

Rose can see Risae is trying to cheer her up and says, "Thank you Risae, we appreciate the meal."

"Oh no problem, you girls just wait. You haven't lived until you've tried Risae's Battlefield Stew." Risae says bragging a little too much.

"Battlefield?" Amelia asks raising an eyebrow.

Risae smiles and says, "Yeah, I make this all the time when we go out on patrol, we don't get into many battles, but everyone's nice and full so if one does happen, they're in tip top shape!"

Risae finishes cooking a few minutes later and pours three large helpings before serving them.

"Here ya go, eat up now!" Risae says cheerfully as she hands Amelia a bowl.

"I guess I'll have a little." Amelia says just before her stomach growls loudly.

Evelyn giggles as she takes a bite and her face lights up.

"Wow! This is so good! You're a really great cook Risae." Evelyn cheers as she takes another bite.

Risae puts her hands on her hips as she says, "Course I am, and I beat Torq every time we train."

"Yes, that's usually the case when one holds back." Torq says entering the room surprisingly quiet for a man his size.

Risae is startled and stumbles at his sudden interjection.

"Yeah right, you know I'm stronger." Risae brags.

Torq replies, "As I've told you sparring helps improve one's skills, but I will never raise my blade with an intent to kill a comrade."

"So then tell me, who's stronger?" Risae asks.

"Let us hope we never have to find out." Torq replies and Risae scoffs at his answer.

"How is the food? Risae is quite the chef, isn't she?" Gisele says as she enters the room.

"Yes it's... wonderful, thank you." Rose replies.

Gisele laughs and says, "Rose you're so cute when you try to be formal. It's me, the same girl who used to sneak out and get into all kinds of trouble with you."

"I thought I remembered you, so you're a princess? Then that means..." Amelia begins but trails off.

Rose looks down and says, "Gisele, have you heard anything from Alissi?"

Gisele gets worried and says, "No, we haven't, why?"

"The Ryders..." Rose begins.

Amelia knows her sister is still processing everything that happened so she explains, "We were caught by Ryder scouts near Alissi, but we managed to escape. We warned Alissi, but the Ryders still broke through and then, they killed Queen Seraphina. After that, the guards blamed us for bringing the Ryders and the Ryders wanted us dead for being Alissian. We ran through the forest and then, we met this strange woman."
Gisele is in shock but also intrigued and says, "A strange woman you say, how so?"

"She talked about crystals and then said those monoliths are supposed to be able to prevent another convergence. We were heading to the monolith near Alissi when we ran into you." Amelia says and looks to Gisele.

"Then my mother... No, this can't be. I, excuse me." Gisele says as she stands and leaves the room.

Torq stands as well but Risae shoves him back into his seat and says, "Let her be for a while big guy."

Rose hangs her head, not knowing how to help Gisele deal with her loss.

"Fear not, as grievous a loss as it is, I know Lady Gisele will persevere. As long as she is alive, Alissi has not fallen, it simply needs to be retaken." Torq says with a warm smile and his words lighten the mood.

"Alright then enough tears for today. Rose can stay in Gisele's room, they probably want to talk. Amelia, go ahead and stay in Rem's room, Torq can show you the way. Evelyn, you can stay with me tonight, ok? Beds are limited but we have just enough. Lucky we sent out the scouts, huh Torq?" Risae says and Torq nods.

The girls say goodnight and Torq shows Amelia and Rose to their rooms while Risae takes Evelyn to hers. Hours pass and although they are tired, the sisters have trouble sleeping, each thinking about their encounter with Eris.

Chapter 3 - Reclamation

In the morning, Rose and Evelyn meet up in the mess hall, although neither of them look well rested.

"Morning!" Risae says cheerfully as she enters the room and makes her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning." Evelyn yawns.

"Didn't sleep enough or something? Well just you wait, after you eat you'll be raring to go!" Risae says as she begins preparing food.

Rose looks to Evelyn and smiles as she says, "You hungry?"

Evelyn nods and says, "Yeah, it's been a while since we could eat as much as we want."

Evelyn's innocent smile tears at Rose's heart as she thinks about what Eris said about another convergence.

"What's got you so uptight?" Amelia says with a smile as she enters the room with an unfamiliar woman.

"Uh, nothing." Rose says faking a smile.

The woman has long, dark red hair and she's wearing a standard white and blue Alissian mage's robe with a tight, low cut white shirt and black shorts underneath.

"These are your sisters? They're adorable! Look at their pretty hair, why do you keep yours so short and messy Amelia?" The woman says running a finger through Rose's hair, making her slightly uncomfortable as her dark purple eyes meet with Rose's.

"What? I told you to stop talking like we're old friends or something, it's weird. Besides, I like it like this and I'm not changing it." Amelia says as she turns slightly red.

The woman laughs and then realizes she is still playing with Rose's hair.

"Where are my manners? I'm Rem Serisen, your sister stayed in my room last night and I wanted to come meet you for myself." Rem says.

Rem bends down slightly and extends her hand to Rose, her breasts nearly breaking free from her low cut shirt.

Rose shakes her hand and introduces herself as Rem says, "Well glad to meet you girls, we don't get many visitors way out here, especially not cuties like you three."

Rem begins chatting with Risae as she cooks and soon Torq also sits at the table and says, "Good morning all, Lady Gisele will be with us shortly."

A few minutes later Risae serves breakfast as a man enters the room followed by Gisele. The man is a little shorter than Torq and much more lean. The man scans the room with his piercing green eyes and quickly spots three new faces. He's wearing Alissian armor, but it seems to be a light variation and is much less cumbersome than the full plate armor Torq is wearing. Under the armor the man has tight fitting, black clothing and the neck of his shirt is long enough that it covers the lower half of his face. His spiky black hair and the scar across his brow make him look threatening, although he doesn't speak to anyone, even when he uncovers his face to eat.

"Everyone, I have something important to discuss, but let us enjoy this fine meal before we begin." Gisele says as the man sits down and Risae serves them.

The food tastes great, but the table is silent, the knowledge of what's to come stifles any conversation until Gisele wipes her mouth and says, "Thank you for the meal Risae. If everyone would follow me please."

Gisele stands up and walks into the hall as everyone follows behind. She opens a door and walks into a large room with a circular table in the center. Racks of weaponry and flags bearing the Alissian crest adorn the walls while tables against the back walls are stacked with dusty books and scrolls. Everyone gathers around the circular table and the man with the scar sets a map onto the table.

Gisele begins by saying, "I have informed General Taryn of the situation and he has agreed, we must take back our capital. We have devised a strategy, although it will be dangerous."

Gisele looks to Rose and says, "I know you want to help, but are you certain you wish to fight? Our enemies will have no mercy for us."

Rose looks to her sisters and Evelyn nods hesitantly while Amelia sighs and rolls her eyes.

Rose turns back to Gisele and says, "Yes, Alissi is our home too and if the Ryders have control of it, it's only a matter of time before they get to Burket. We have to do something before it's too late."

Gisele smiles and says, "Very well then, as your friend, and as princess of Alissi, I thank you."

Rose blushes and Risae giggles as Gisele continues, "General Taryn has already sent word to our outlying forces and will meet them just outside Alissi at dawn tomorrow. The full might of the Alissian army will bear down on the Ryders, and although it pains me to use them like this, they will be a distraction for a small team led by myself. We will sneak into the southern gate after the fighting has started and proceed directly to the throne room. If we can secure the palace, the Ryders will be surrounded."

Rose follows Gisele's finger tracing a path along the map as she speaks.

"Well count me in, finally time to show my stuff!" Risae says.

"Don't forget these are Ryders we're facing, remember your duty comes before any personal feelings. We're to protect Lady Gisele at all costs." Torq replies.

"Chrol and I will accompany you as well my lady." Rem says and the man with the scar nods and slightly grunts.

"Ah yes, my apologies Rose, this is Chrol Rysn. He's an exceptional swordsman, maybe even the best in Alissi, but he hardly ever says a word. He looks intimidating, but he's actually a very nice man." Gisele explains.

Even with his face covered, Chrol looks uncomfortable and Rose smiles.

Gisele has a serious look on her face as she rests both hands on the table and says, "The Ryders have the advantage, so we'll try to avoid fighting until we reach the throne if at all possible. Ready yourselves and meet out front in four hours, dismissed."

Risae and Torq exit the room as Rem says, "Chrol, you better not get any more scars on that handsome face of yours, you hear?"

Chrol turns around and nods before saying, "I'd say the same, but if even one of those Ryder scum get near you, they'll be dead before they hit the ground."

Chrol leans in and lowers his mask before kissing Rem and she returns the affection.

As he leaves Amelia says, "Is he your husband?"

Rem laughs and says, "Yeah, what about it?"

"I just didn't expect..." Amelia trails off not knowing what to say.

Rem laughs again and says, "I know he's a little scary looking, but that's just how he is. He's very intense about everything and, I don't know, I guess I like that about him. He can be very passionate too, if you know what I mean."

Rem nudges Amelia and makes her blush before she says, "What, never even tried it? There must have been someone."

Amelia shakes her head and says, "No, I've always been so busy looking out for my... Wait, why the hell am I even talking about this? Mind your own damn business!"

Amelia storms out of the room and Rem says, "Uh oh, I didn't mean to upset her."

Rose laughs and says, "Amelia is the toughest of us three, she never really talks about that kind of stuff even when Evelyn and I would."

Rem giggles as she leaves the room and Evelyn says, "Rose, I'm scared. I want to do this, but I have a bad feeling."

Rose sighs and says, "Being scared means you're taking this seriously, and that's good. There's no way of knowing what will happen, but if we stick together, everything will be alright."

Evelyn nods and the girls return to their rooms to gather their belongings. When the time comes, the girls return to the front of the fortress where the rest of the team has assembled. Torq, Chrol, Rem, and Risae stand in a line and Rose, Evelyn, and Amelia line up beside Torq.

Gisele looks toward her comrades and says, "My mother was a kind person who cared for all Alissians, she did not deserve such a gruesome fate. As long as I draw breath, I will do everything to ensure we can live in peace once again. I cannot do this alone however, and so I ask you, my most trusted friends, will you aid your kingdom?"

Cheers erupt as Gisele's words spark a fire in their hearts. "Of course lady, no, Queen Gisele. We would gladly follow you to our dying breath." Torq says as he kneels.

Chrol adds, "They will pay for everything they have done, I'll make sure of it."

Gisele nods and says, "Thank you all, then let's not waste any time. The path through the woods will be the quickest. Chrol, will you go on ahead and make sure the path is safe?"

Chrol nods and without a word he leaps high into the air and pulls himself into a tree. He takes off so fast it's almost hard to see as he leaps trough the air from branch to branch.

"The rest of us will follow Chrol's lead. Be cautious, who knows what kind of tactics the Ryders will use." Gisele says as she begins walking in the same direction Chrol headed.

Torq waits and takes the rear as he cautiously scans the trees. The heavy clink of metal armor echoes slightly as the reality sets in for Evelyn. The happy and wild Risae that cooked such delicious food, now twirls her twin daggers around with such ease that she also begins to skip as she chats with Rem. Torq, as positive and cheerful as he was, now holds a massive hammer over his shoulder and he has once again donned his helmet.

Amelia, Evelyn, and Rose were given basic leather gear and sturdy breastplates as well, but only Amelia can handle the weight of the chest piece. When the girls were presented with a selection of weapons, Rose and Amelia both chose swords while Evelyn opted for a bow. She also packed a small bag full of bandages and other medical supplies and strapped it to the thick leather protecting her back. Though the path is mostly clear, it still takes a few hours to reach the edge of the forest.

Chrol stands at the treeline and greets Gisele as Torq says, "You didn't find any soldiers along the way? Could they be unaware of the fortress?"

"Either way, they've surely noticed our army drawing near. Now we wait." Gisele responds as she sits against a tree.

Everyone but Chrol takes a seat and minutes turn to hours as dawn quickly approaches.

"They're here." Chrol says and everyone readies themselves for battle.

The white and blue of the Alissian armor shines as they march through the trees and the sun begins to rise. Ryders positioned along the broken city wall see the army approaching and sound their horns as the Ryder army rushes through the destroyed gates to meet their foes head on.

Gisele looks back and says, "Now, while their attention is at the western gates."

Chrol and Torq take the lead as everyone quickly runs to the southern gates. Just as Gisele reaches the gate, an arrow screams past her and Torq moves in front of Gisele.

"So much for going unnoticed. What now princess?" Rem asks as she sees another Ryder appear on the wall.

"Torq, break down the gates. Chrol can you handle those two?" Gisele commands.

"With pleasure." Chrol responds.

Chrol backs up and then runs blindingly fast towards the wall. He jumps up and continues running up the wall until he reaches the top and beheads one of the Ryders. As he lands on top of the wall, Torq lifts his giant hammer and swings down hard, easily smashing through the thick wooden doors. As everyone rushes into the city, they stumble into a large group of Ryders.

One of them is clearly their leader and he says, "Look at this men, more Alissians. You people really don't know when to just give up and die, do you?"

His men laugh but Gisele calmly says, "No, we fight to the bitter end if we must. The people of Alissi will never bow to the likes of Rydell."

The man steps forward and says, "I'd really love to see how feisty you are after you lose some of that royal blood of yours, princess."

The Ryders begin to advance and the man raises his hand to touch Gisele's hair as he smiles. Rose blinks and suddenly Chrol is standing in front of Gisele, with blood dripping from his sword. The Ryder screams as he backs away clutching his wrist as his hand falls to the ground and his men quickly draw their weapons.

"Lady Gisele, please go to the throne room, I will teach these dogs the meaning of fear." Chrol says with a fiery look in his eyes.

Gisele nods and says, "I'll be needing your help so don't take too long."

Torq leads everyone deeper into the city as clashing swords and horrible screams echo from behind them. Amelia glances back as she runs and sees the Ryders being cut down in rapid succession. Chrol moves so fast it's difficult to see, but the sound of the battle grows more intense and Amelia wonders if leaving him alone was a good idea.

The battle outside the gates has drawn most of the Ryders away as planned and the rest of the way is clear. When they arrive outside the palace Gisele looks up towards the balcony, still stained with her mother's blood. Gisele leads everyone into the palace and as they open the large, ornate doors, they see two men standing inside.

One is young, in his mid twenties, and has short black hair. He wears a custom fitted suit of dark red armor with golden trim and a large black Ryder crest emblazoned on the chest. The other man looks to be in his late forties and from the style of his armor, Rose surmises he must be a general. The older man has grey hair but his posture suggests he is still a skilled warrior.

"I knew you would show up here, princess Gisele. There's no way those spineless Alissians would be fighting out there if their little princess hadn't ordered them to." The younger man says with an arrogant smile.

"Prince Eran, I didn't think you would stoop this low. How dare Rydell invade and murder our Queen!" Gisele yells.

Eran walks towards her and says, "And where were you? Out playing in the forest, pretending that your pitiful existence somehow matters? Your idealistic words mean nothing without the strength to make it so!"

Eran quickly draws his sword but Torq blocks the strike with his forearm.

Eran smiles and says, "Men, deal with these pests. I don't want to be disturbed while I fight Gisele."

At his command, Ryders burst into the palace from all sides and surround the Alissians.

"My lady, I'll..." Torq begins.

He is interrupted by Gisele as she says, "It's alright Torq, if prince Eran wants a duel, then I shall give him one to remember."

Torq takes Gisele's left side and Risae takes the right as they tense up and prepare to fight. Rem stays with Amelia and Rose to help protect Evelyn as they look towards the enemies behind them.

"You think you are my equal?" Eran says with a scowl as he swings his sword but Gisele blocks it.

She quickly tilts her blade, causing Eran's to slide off and she thrusts the hilt of her sword into his throat.

Eran stumbles backward while coughing and Gisele smiles and says, "Equal? Perhaps if I only used one hand."

Eran roars and charges Gisele as Torq and Risae begin fighting the Ryder soldiers. Torq swings his oversized hammer as if it were light as a feather, sending Ryders flying into the walls and across the room with monstrous force. Quite the opposite, Risae deftly evades her attackers and picks them off one at a time with a combination of quick, precise cuts to vital areas.

Gisele and Eran clash once again as Rem steps in front of Evelyn and says, "Let's keep these guys busy until Chrol gets back."

Small flames gather around Rem's fingers as her eyes begin to glow and she raises her hands towards the approaching Ryders. Rem unleashes a maelstrom of fire and with nowhere to hide, most of the Ryders are quickly consumed by the intense flames. Rem lowers her hands and the flames subside as Evelyn opens her eyes and sees the men burning alive. Two of the Ryders used their comrades as shields and they discard the burnt corpses as they run towards Rem. Amelia rushes towards one and locks blades while Rose steps in front of Rem with her sword drawn.

Rem smiles and says, "Go ahead, I'll back you up."

Rose nods and as she slowly approaches the charging Ryder, something dawns on her. The Ryder seems to be moving in slow motion as Rose feels a strange calm she's never experienced before. Rose tenses up, watching the man get closer until he leaps into the air and swings his sword down hard.

Just before their blades connect, Rose sees Chrol leap into the palace through a broken window, and with her altered perception, she can now clearly see Chrol's movements as he quickly runs toward her. Distracted, Rose barely blocks the Ryder's attack as the flow of time returns to normal and Chrol crashes into the Ryder, sending him flying across the room where he is accidentally hit by the back swing of Torq's hammer.

"Chrol you're back!" Evelyn says happily, but Chrol leaps over her and blocks the spear of the older Ryder soldier.

"You actually have some skill, it's a pity you chose to serve the cowardly Alissians. I am General Maxton Gohr." The old Ryder says as he points his spear at Chrol and says, "Try to make this entertaining, taking the queen's head was far too easy."

Chrol raises his sword and charges in without a word as General Gohr blocks his lightning fast attacks and says, "You're still too slow!"

Gohr's spear pierces Chrol's shoulder and lifts him off the ground. Chrol lands on his feet and holds the spear with one hand as he cuts the pole in half. General Gohr draws a sword from his waist and Chrol pulls the spear tip from his shoulder before tossing it to the floor.

As they charge towards each other again, more Ryders approach the girls and Rem says, "It's getting crowded in here, I don't want to burn anyone on our side, can you two handle them?"

Amelia and Rose look at each other and nod before getting in front of Rem and Evelyn.

"Rem and I will help too, just be careful." Evelyn says as Rose and Amelia rush towards the Ryders.

As the battle drags on, Gisele suddenly screams and Eran says, "There, your first taste of the real world. How does it feel?"

Gisele blocks another powerful swing, but Eran quickly kicks her in the stomach and knocks her against a pillar. Eran yells and swings his sword again, barely missing Gisele and taking a chunk out of the pillar.

Gisele backs away but trips on some rubble and Eran says, "Goodbye princess."

With no time to evade, Gisele closes her eyes and awaits the cold steel blade, but instead, she hears a deep metallic echo and opens her eyes to see Torq blocking Eran's sword with his forearm. The blade barely penetrates the thick armor on Torq's arm but blood begins to flow as Eran withdraws his sword.
"Are you hurt?" Gisele asks.

Torq smiles and says, "Just a scratch, my lady, and you?"

"Enough of this!" Eran exclaims as he begins fighting Torq.

Gisele catches her breath as she clutches her shoulder and sees Chrol fighting General Gohr. Blood leaks onto the floor as Chrol can barely defend himself against Gohr's onslaught. Despite his injury, Chrol counters and his blade cuts deeply into General Gohr's arm.

Gohr quickly backs away and says, "Damn you, you've wounded me." General Gohr lifts his injured arm, barely connected anymore, and says, "Strange... I feel no pain, but I can't let you get away with this."

Gohr quickly picks up the broken spear tip and throws it at Rem, her back exposed as she helps Rose and Amelia hold off the soldiers. Chrol catches the blade with his bare hand just before it hits Rem and as she turns around, Rem sees General Gohr's blade sink into Chrol's chest.

The blade exits his lower back and narrowly misses Rem as Gohr smiles and says, "Such a disappointment."

"Chrol! No, please no!" Rem cries as General Gohr retracts his blade and Chrol slumps into Rem's arms.

"Oh gods why? Not Chrol please not him!" Rem cries, her tears streaming down her face and dripping onto Chrol's bloody cheek.

Chrol coughs up blood and weakly says, "R-Rem..."

Rem holds her head against Chrol's and says, "You can't leave me all alone, please don't die..."

Chrol raises his hand to lower his mask, revealing a calm smile as he says, "I am with you always, my... love."

Chrol's hand goes limp and hits the floor as Rem screams and clutches Chrol's lifeless body. General Gohr approaches Rem and raises his sword, but before he can strike, Rose's sword plunges deep into Gohr's stomach and he staggers backward.

General Gohr grunts and says, "Insolent worm! You..."

Rose cuts off Gohr mid sentence and with furious tears in her eyes she says, "Shut the hell up!"

"Rose! Don't fight him alone!" Amelia says as she and Evelyn hold off the last of the Ryders.

Rose charges towards General Gohr and they lock swords as his blood slowly drips onto the ornate tile. At first glance, Gohr's blood appears very dark, almost black, and seems to be much thicker than it should be, causing it to slowly drip rather than pour from his wounds.

"After I cut you down, King Erimon will surely let me rule these lands!" Gohr laughs maniacally as he bears down on Rose and she struggles to maintain the deadlock.

Suddenly a sword pierces General Gohr's back and Amelia says, "Wonder what he'll think when he hears you were killed by Alissians?"

Gohr coughs up blood and staggers as Amelia withdraws her blade and he falls to his knees.

Rose says, "Rem, are you ok?"

As she turns her back, General Gohr lunges at Rose only to meet Amelia's cold blade against his throat. With a powerful swing, Amelia takes Gohr's head and his lifeless body falls to the floor, as more of his dark blood seeps out of his neck and pools around his corpse.

Amelia catches her breath as Rose reaches Rem and says, "Is he..."

Rem lifts her head and looks at Rose, still completely shattered from losing her lover and Rose says, "Evelyn, stay here with Rem."

Evelyn nods with tears in her eyes and kneels on the other side of Chrol, trying in vain to treat his wounds. Amelia and Rose rush to help Gisele as a Ryder soldier walks to the front and slams his giant sword into the floor. He is huge, a little bigger than Torq even, and just as muscular.

The Ryder roars as he charges towards Torq, dragging his sword behind him and tearing up the tiles along the way. Torq swings his hammer to the side and the Ryder blocks, his metal boots scraping across the floor as he's pushed by the momentum, but somehow he is able to deflect the blow and continues his charge. Torq narrowly blocks the greatsword with his arm but the force and weight cause it to deeply cut into his armor.

Torq puts himself between the Ryder and Gisele and says, "Rose, Amelia, I'll hold this one. Please help lady Gisele."

The girls run past Torq and see Risae fighting the last of the soldiers as Gisele is sent flying across the room.

Amelia quickly leaps and catches Gisele as Rose says, "Nice catch! You ok Gisele?"

Gisele nods although she clutches her shoulder while saying, "Yes and thank you Amelia, I owe you a favor."

Amelia rolls her eyes and says, "Forget it, we still have him to worry about. You don't look very well, let Rose and I handle this."

Gisele looks worried as she says, "You can't! Something isn't right, he has become so much stronger..."

Amelia scoffs and says, "If you die here, all of this will have been for nothing. Just sit back and let Evelyn treat your wounds."

Before Gisele can protest, Amelia and Rose head towards the throne where Eran awaits.

"I've grown bored of this, I think I'll kill you now princess. Gohr take care of the small fry." Eran laughs.

Amelia replies, "You mean that old guy, he's dead. It's just you against all of us now."

Eran looks past the girls and sees Gohr's corpse laying on the ground.

"What!? You... He couldn't have died by the likes of you!" Eran says in a rage as he looks around and realizes all of his troops are dead. "Damn it all!" Eran says as he raises his sword.

Rose says, "It's over, lay down your sword and we won't kill you."

Eran laughs and says, "As if you could!"

Eran yells as he charges in. Amelia blocks his strike while Rose cuts his arm deeply causing him to grunt in pain before punching Rose and knocking her down.

"Rose!" Amelia yells.

Eran replies, "You're weak!"

He swings his sword wildly and grazes Amelia's stomach as she backs off and Rose gets to her feet.

Amelia meets Eran head on and as they clash she suddenly says, "Now Rose!"

Amelia swings with all her might and Eran's blade bounces off hers as Rose quickly steps in and drives her sword into Eran's gut. Amelia steps back as Rose watches Eran slide off her blade and slump to the floor.

Amelia raises her sword above Eran's head but Rose stops her and says, "Don't kill him!"

"What? Why wouldn't I after everything he's done?" Amelia asks in surprise.

"If we don't stop killing each other, when will it ever end? Someone has to be the first, why not us?" Rose reasons.

Amelia begins to protest but Gisele interrupts and says, "My mother would agree. She was such a kind person, I'm sure she would want this all to end with as few deaths as possible."

Torq sniffs and says, "Lady Gisele, truly you will be a worthy successor to the throne."

Gisele walks over to Eran as he coughs up more blood and says, "Prince Eran, your empire's hostile actions will not be tolerated and if not for Rose remaining calm in this situation, you would have lost your head as well. Leave my lands at once and never return, Prince of Rydell."

Eran looks bewildered and says, "Damn you all, when I recover, I'll..."

His words fade as he quickly limps away leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Evelyn runs over and hugs Rose and Amelia while saying, "We did it! We beat the Ryders!"

"Not yet, we must help our army." Gisele says but nearly faints as she starts to walk away.

Torq catches her and says, "Please rest here and let Risae and I handle the rest."

"We can take care of it my lady, why don't you decide what I should make for dinner tonight? Such an occasion, I can't wait!" Risae giggles.

Gisele smiles as she says, "Very well, but please be cautious."

Chapter 4 - Convergence

By noon, the Ryder army has retreated into the forests and the Alissians return to their city to rest. Torq and Risae return shortly after and Gisele greets them.

As they recount their battle, Rose approaches Gisele and says, "Sorry to interrupt, but we're going to leave now."

"You're headed to the ancient monument nearby?" Gisele inquires.

Rose nods and replies, "Yeah, that woman said the monoliths can prevent another convergence. I'm not sure if I believe her, but if it's true I have to try."

Gisele looks worried and says, "I understand, but my retainers and I have much to do here after all that has happened. Please be careful Rose, I'm sorry I can't lend you an escort, but with the Ryders so close, we will have to keep them at bay or risk another invasion."

Rose shakes her head and says, "It's ok, really. All I have to do is touch the monolith, so we shouldn't have to fight or anything. Alissi needs you right now, we'll be fine."

Gisele hugs Rose and says, "Then I shall see you again, soon I hope."

Torq and Risae say goodbye but Rem is nowhere to be seen as the girls depart the city and head for the monolith.

"I'm so sad about Chrol. Rem wouldn't stop crying." Evelyn says as she wipes a tear from her eye.

Amelia responds, "He was a hell of a fighter, I'll say that much."

"Yeah, I've never seen someone move like he did, it was incredible." Rose says.

The girls walk along the coast line and soon see the imposing structure in the distance.

"Is that it?" Evelyn asks, having never seen one of the monoliths before.

Rose replies, "Yeah, Gisele and I used to sneak out here sometimes and play. We never got very close though, her retainers usually found us before long."

Amelia laughs and says, "Torq came running after you two?"

Rose smiles and says, "Him and another man, Loran, but I think he died a few years ago. That must be when Risae became her retainer."

The girls chat as they get closer to the monolith until Evelyn says, "Something doesn't feel right, I don't like this place."

Amelia laughs and says, "There's nothing here, what's got you so afraid?"

Evelyn shrugs and says, "I don't know, I just feel like we shouldn't be here."

"Eris is counting on us. Amelia and I are here too so don't worry, we'll be alright." Rose says, trying to convince herself as well.

"Well there it is, let's hurry up and get this over with." Amelia says as Rose approaches the monolith.

The pure black rectangular tower stands around sixty feet tall and ten feet wide. The surface is devoid of any seams or irregularities and it faintly hums as Rose walks closer.

"What is it made from? Stone, or metal maybe?" Evelyn asks.

Amelia shrugs and says, "Nobody knows for sure, it's stronger than anything we can create. People have tried to analyze it before, but they couldn't make sense of it and with the monsters getting closer, they gave up entirely on them. I guess they should have stuck with it, huh?"

Rose slowly raises her hand as her sisters converse and reaches out to the monolith. Her hand comes to rest against the surface and she feels a slight warmth emanating from the monolith. Nothing happens for a few seconds, but just before Rose speaks, the ground begins to tremble. Rose steps back as she looks upward at the monolith as sections of it open up revealing an intensely bright light.

"What's going on?" Amelia asks in confusion.

The tremors intensify and Evelyn nearly loses her balance as Rose returns to her sisters and says, "What's that noise?"

Evelyn and Amelia look around and Rose says, "It's getting louder, you don't hear that?"

Rose covers her ears and Amelia says, "I think I hear it too, what is it?"

Amelia also covers her ears but Evelyn seems to be unable to hear the noise as it grows louder. Amelia feels uneasy and sees the ground begin to crack as small pieces break off and begin to float in the air. The ocean crashes violently against the shore sending much more water than usual inland as the waves relentlessly pummel the shoreline.

"We have to get out of here!" Amelia yells as she grabs Evelyn and Rose by the hand and begins to run away from the monolith.

"What's happening?" Evelyn yells.

"I don't know but we're not staying to find out!" Amelia replies.

As the girls sprint back towards Alissi, a massive tremor knocks them off their feet and they struggle to get up as the earthquake somehow keeps getting stronger. Suddenly, trees near the monolith begin to be uprooted and as Rose looks back she sees a huge wave crash onto land but most of the water is slowly dragged into the air. The floating debris continues its ascent as the entire area around the monolith lifts into the air.

"Oh gods, are we gonna die?" Evelyn says with tears in her eyes.

Amelia picks up Evelyn and holds her tight against her chest as she says, "Rose we have to get off now while it's still low to the ground."

Rose nods and says, "O-ok."

Amelia begins to sprint towards the edge as Rose struggles to keep up and the sky becomes white all around the monolith.

"Damn it, we have to hurry!" Amelia yells increasing her pace as Rose tries desperately to run even faster.

Amelia reaches the edge of the floating land, but the bright white light surrounding it prevents her from knowing how far down it will be.

"Come on Rose we have to jump!" Amelia says as she looks back.

Rose sees Amelia jump off as she clutches Evelyn to her chest and after she passes through the light, they can no longer be seen. Without stopping, Rose leaps off the edge and passes through the light, only to realize she is about twelve feet off the ground. She screams as she plummets towards the ground but Amelia rushes over and catches her at the last moment.

"You alright?" Amelia grunts as Rose gets off her and she stands up.

"Ugh, yeah thanks." Rose replies as she rubs her forehead.

"Rose! You're alright!" Evelyn cries as she hugs her sister.

Rose wraps her arm around Evelyn but sees Amelia has a troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Rose asks but Amelia doesn't respond.

Instead she draws her sword and slowly backs up closer to her sisters. Rose also draws her blade while keeping Evelyn close by. The ground shakes as an explosion shatters trees and sends them flying. Amid the chaos, Amelia looks into the trees and sees monsters stalking them. The monsters appear bestial and ferocious, although none of them seem to be of the same species. Some walk on all fours while others stand upright like a man and a few can even fly.

"Are those... monsters?" Evelyn asks fearfully.

Amelia replies, "They're blocking the way back to Alissi."

Explosions devastate the land and the sphere of light containing the monolith and the area around it continues its ascent as more of the ocean is dragged up by the increasing force.

"What are we gonna..." Evelyn's words are cut short as an explosion in the ocean just behind the girls knocks her off her feet.

"Ev, are you ok?" Rose asks she helps Evelyn to her feet.

She nods and says, "Yeah, thanks Rose. That was really close though, we have to get back to Alissi."

"Then we have to go through the monsters first." Amelia replies.

"Why are they even here? Monsters have never been this close to Alissi before." Rose asks.

"It doesn't matter, they're here now and we have to get through them somehow." Amelia says as she scans her surroundings and sees even more monsters gathering near the area the monolith used to occupy.

"Get Evelyn out of here, I'll hold them off for as long as I can." Amelia says with a determined look on her face.

"No way! I'm not leaving..." Rose begins.

Amelia cuts off Rose and yells, "Get out of here!"

Amelia yells and charges towards the monsters but an explosion kills her intended target and throws her into a nearby broken tree. She hits the ground hard but slowly gets to her feet as Evelyn and Rose rush to aid her. Massive spheres appear all over the Alissian territory and as with the monolith, they begin to rise into the sky encircled in a bright white light. Trees, pieces of mountains, and entire villages are drawn into the air as the sky grows dark outside.

Evelyn points toward the ocean and says, "Look!"

Rose and Amelia follow her gaze and see pure white energy swirling around as it quickly shrinks down until it is too small to see and then explodes, sending more water into the air.

"That looked like magic, but there's no one casting it..." Rose remarks.

Amelia snaps her back to reality by saying, "Stop looking and start running."

"No, we can't..." Rose says.

Amelia grabs her collar and says, "Damn it, for once would you just listen to me!?"

As they argue, Evelyn holds her stomach and after a minute she says, "Uhh, Rose, Amelia..."

The girls turn to look at Evelyn as tears stream down her face and they see white energy swirling around her belly.

"I love you both so much..." Evelyn calmly says just before an explosion rips her apart.

"Evelyn!" Rose and Amelia scream in unison just before they are blown away in opposite directions.

Rose lands on the sandy shoreline while Amelia is thrown against a tree. Her arm is mangled from the impact, but Amelia manages to get to her feet as blood drips down her face and she begins slowly walking towards what is left of Evelyn. Amelia falls to her knees and stares at the bloody mess in disbelief before she reaches out and picks up Evelyn's torso, only half her head loosely hanging by her spine remains. Amelia embraces her sister's corpse and screams as loud as she can while tears stream down her face.

"Ev! Why, gods why her?" Amelia's eyes flash with rage as she yells, "Eris you bitch, this is all your fault! I'll kill you... damn it."

Amelia's mind is flooded with ideas of killing Eris and how she will avenge her sister. Rose opens her eyes and slowly sits up as sand falls from her golden hair and she wipes blood from her eyes.

"Amelia, where are you?" Rose says weakly as she gets to her feet and looks around.

Rose sees Amelia clutching Evelyn's dead body in her arms and the image of her little sister exploding flashes before her and she falls to her knees and vomits. Rose wipes her mouth and slowly makes her way closer to Amelia.

"Amelia, we have to get out of here, come on." Rose pleads but Amelia can't seem to hear her as she mumbles to herself and occasionally bursts into tears.

White energy begins to swirl nearby and Rose yells, "Amelia!"

A large fissure opens in the ground where the monolith once stood and rapidly snakes its way along the coast as the ground loses stability and cracks under the strain of being lifted into the air.

The crevasse races along the coastline as it heads towards the girls and Rose yells, "What are you doing? Amelia run!"

Amelia seems to snap back to reality just as the energy explodes and sends Rose flying into the ocean. Amelia can only watch helplessly as the ground around her is swallowed by the fissure and she disappears still clutching Evelyn as the ocean rushes in to fill the void.

Alissi, being in such close proximity to the monolith, was devastated by the convergence. Although it was spared from being engulfed in the spheres of light, the explosions and tremors destroyed around two thirds of the city and the remains were battered by fierce ocean waves. The coastal city lay in ruins and although it was damaged, the palace protected nearly everyone inside.

Torq and Risae volunteered to look for survivors and split up, Risae searching near the palace while Torq headed to the seaside market. Just prior to the Ryder invasion, it was busy with vendors and customers going about their business, a sprawling marketplace upon which Alissi built the foundations of it's empire.

"Gods... it's, it's all gone." Torq says in disbelief as he gazes upon the wreckage.

Collapsed buildings, crumbling streets, and corpses of townspeople litter the plaza and the seaport has been reduced to splinters.

Torq clenches his fist and says, "Such needless death."

Torq walks through the rubble to the edge of the sea and notices the sea level has dropped by a few feet. As he tries to process the devastation, Torq notices a body floating in the ocean, drifting towards the coast.
"I should pull them from the water before they get dragged back out. The least I can do for them now is give them a proper burial." Torq says to himself.

As Torq hops down to the coast and begins walking towards the body, he sees blonde hair and he says, "Oh no, divines let her be alright!"

Torq begins sprinting towards the ocean and pulls Rose's head above water. He swims back carrying Rose and lays her on the beach. Torq quickly pulls his knife and cuts the leather straps of Rose's chest armor and throws it aside. Pressing his hands against her chest, Torq presses down hard over and over.

He breathes into Rose's mouth and keeps pumping his hands on her chest. Eventually, Rose coughs up water and rolls onto her side.

She continues to choke and water pours from her mouth as Torq sits down and says, "Thank the stars, if lady Gisele had lost you too, well, let's not dwell on it."

Torq looks to Rose with a smile but she is unconscious. Torq gently picks up Rose and carries her back to the palace. Three days pass before Rose regains consciousness and when she opens her eyes, she sees that she is in an expensive looking bed with curtains all around. Rose slowly sits up and feels pain all over her body.

She looks down and sees she has small bruises and deep cuts across most of her body. She also notices she is only wearing a thin white robe. Rose moves to the edge of the bed and moves the curtain aside revealing a room just as lavish as the bed. She has never been inside the palace before the fight against the Ryders, but from the colors of the furniture and decorations, Rose assumes she is in Gisele's room.

"This is wonderful, how do you feel Rose?" Torq says as he enters the room carrying a plate of food and a mug.

"Uhh, thirsty, and hungry." Rose replies wearily.

Torq looks surprised and says, "Well this was supposed to be mine, but you need all the strength you can get so go ahead. I'll go get another for myself."

Rose takes the mug and even when she realizes it's ale, she continues to drink until it's empty. She sets the mug down and digs into the food, starving after being asleep for so long.

Torq returns and after they finish their meal, Gisele enters the room and hugs Rose while saying, "I'm so glad you're alright, but where are Amelia and Evelyn?"

Rose breaks down and sobs uncontrollably as Torq silently rises form his seat and excuses himself.

"Gisele, they're... dead." Is all Rose can manage to say and Gisele holds her tightly as she too begins to cry.

"Oh Rose, I'm so sorry. What happened?" Gisele asks after a long silence.

Rose shakes her head and says, "I don't know I touched the monolith like Eris said and then, explosions started going off everywhere, and Evelyn..."

Rose clenches her fists and Gisele says, "Gods, how horrible. What about Amelia?"

Rose looks back up at Gisele and says, "She was holding Ev and then she fell into a huge fissure. It was so dark down there, like it went on forever. I was flying through the air thinking I was going to die, just like my sisters but... I'm still here."

Gisele wipes her tears before saying, "My mother was taken from me as well, but I didn't bear witness to that either. Please forgive me Rose, I should have been there with you."

Gisele bows her head and Rose says, "I don't know how I even survived, but you could have died too if you were there. I want to be with my sisters again, but if I lost you too I don't know if I..."

Rose trails off as she begins to cry again.

"Rose, if there's anything I can do, please, just say the word." Gisele says taking Rose's hand.

"I just, I don't even know what to do with myself." Rose says as she wonders how she will cope without her sisters. "I just want to sleep, I'm still so tired." Rose says as she yawns.

"I understand, most of the ground floor was heavily flooded, but the upper floors were mostly untouched. There is a shortage of beds, but you can stay here in my chambers for as long as you need. I have to help my people, but I will return later. Sleep well, Rose." Gisele says comfortingly as she exits the room and Rose turns over and cries herself to sleep.

The sun rises the next morning and light pours in from the window as Rose wakes up and sees Gisele sound asleep next to her in the large bed.

For a moment Rose thinks she should have died along with her sisters, but Risae interrupts her thoughts as she enters and softly says, "Hey glad to see you're ok. I, umm, I'm really sorry about your sisters. They were so nice, I... I'm sorry for bringing it up. I'll shut up now."

Risae hangs her head and grabs some linens from a dresser nearby and Rose says, "What am I supposed to do now? Why did only I survive?"

Risae has a pained look on her face but doesn't say anything.

A knock at the door breaks the momentary silence and Gisele wakes up and says, "Risae, see who it is."

Risae opens the door and Torq is standing in the doorway covering his eyes.

"Rose, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I believe you must keep living, despite the pain. Your burden is to always remember and by doing so, they will live on through you. Just as lady Gisele must bear the burden of the people killed in Alissi, they will never be forgotten. That is the Alissian spirit that has kept us going all this time."

Torq wipes a tear from his eye and Rose says, "That's beautiful. I don't know if I can bear that burden though. I only wanted to help..."

Gisele sits next to Rose and says, "Wait, if you activated the monolith, then that means the woman you met was actually Eris."

Rose stares out the window and says, "Yeah, I guess she was."

Gisele puts her hand on Rose's shoulder and says, "Don't you see, Eris is the goddess of life! Surely she can bring Evelyn and Amelia back, right? Do you remember where she was going?"

Rose perks up and says, "Do you really think she can bring them back?"

Gisele nods and says, "Yes, in the stories I've heard of Eris, she was known to bring souls back from the dead a number of times."

Rose smiles and says, "I had no idea! I think she said she was going to the western monolith when she left."

"I see, then assuming she is traveling by foot, she has a seven day lead." Gisele says as she pauses to think and then continues, "Torq, go to the stables and ready our finest horse, and make sure to fill it's packs with supplies as well."

Torq salutes and says, "Right away my lady."

As he walks down the hall, Risae says, "So you're going then, I hope you'll be ok by yourself out there."

Gisele gets up and as she dresses herself she says, "We have precious few soldiers left to defend our kingdom, but after everything that has happened, I'll not let my best friend make this journey alone." Gisele turns to Rose and continues, "Give me some time to make the arrangements, perhaps you should rest a while longer."

Rose shakes her head and says, "Thank you but I feel alright now. I wanted to go back to the monolith and, I don't know, see if I can find any trace of Evelyn or Amelia. What if they're still out there?"

Gisele nods and says, "Then I'll send them to the monolith to meet you." Gisele hugs Rose and says, "I must go now but, I hope you will stay for the ceremony at least."

Rose looks confused and says, "What ceremony?"

Risae laughs and says, "Gisele is officially the new queen of Alissi! How cool is that?"

Gisele smiles and says, "It will be a heavy burden as Torq said, but I owe it to my mother and the Alissian people to be the kind of leader they need."

"Of course, I didn't know..." Rose says getting out of bed frantically.

She holds up her torn and bloodstained clothes and looks to Gisele as she laughs and says, "I wouldn't mind at all if you wore that, but if you'd be more comfortable, you can wear one of my dresses. Risae, help Rose while I finish getting ready."

Risae takes Rose by the hand and leads her to Gisele's closet. It's an entire room filled with beautiful and expensive dresses and clothes. After finding a modest dress, Rose bathes and dresses herself.

Risae returns a short while later and says, "Come on, it's gonna start soon. You look really good in that, really brings out those big blue eyes of yours."

Rose smiles and thanks her as they head to the throne room. Upon entering, Rose sees the scars and cracks in the floor and walls from the fight against Eran and Gohr but all of the furniture and decorations are gone, most likely ruined in the flood. The throne remains the sole object in the room as it slowly fills with the remains of the Alissian citizens. Gisele enters the room and walks in front of the throne as people quietly cry and whisper among themselves.

Torq clears his throat loudly and the crowd quiets down as he says in a booming voice, "Our fair queen was murdered by cowardly soldiers from Rydell, but her daughter, Gisele Laplace fearlessly lead the attack to reclaim the city." Torq raises the Alissian crown and continues, "Her actions prove her worth, and so, I hereby name you Queen Gisele Laplace of Alissi. All hail the Queen!"

The crowd erupts with cheers and people shouting 'All hail the Queen!' The festivities wind down a few hours later and Rose decides to head to the monolith.

"Leaving already?' Torq asks.

Rose replies, "Yes, I just want to think about things for a while. Thank you for saving me Torq, Gisele told me you were the one that brought me back to Alissi."

Torq laughs and says, "What was I to do, leave someone floating in the ocean? Think nothing of it Rose, you are a kind person and you didn't deserve this hardship, but I believe you will persevere."

Rose smiles and says, "Thanks, it's nice to know a few people believe in me."

Torq helps Rose onto the horse and says, "This is Vold, pure bred and fast as lightning. I've packed food and water as well as some basic medical supplies in these pouches."

Rose nods and thanks Torq again before riding off towards the site of the convergence.

Chapter 5 - The Desert Kingdom

The inside of the city was wrecked, but from the outside, Rose sees the true scale of the destruction. Almost half of the city is rubble and the once lush and beautiful forests surrounding the area have been blown to bits. Craters of all sizes dot the landscape from the explosions, and as Rose approaches she notices the monolith is gone.

There are several massive perfect circles where the hilly grassland unnaturally meets rocky, mountainous terrain. Rose looks around and sees the fissure Amelia fell into, and feels sick as she cautiously approaches and peers into the abyss. It's too dark to see the bottom and the walls of the crevasse are jagged, further reinforcing the idea there is no way to survive such a fall.

"I'm sorry Amelia, I should have just listened to you." Rose sobs as she backs away from the edge.

She sits down and sees a small black shard in the grass. As she picks it up, the shard briefly emits a white light before crumbling away into dust. Rose sighs and lets the dust scatter in the wind. She takes another look around and it dawns on her that there is no crater where the monolith lifted that huge piece of land into the sky.

"Then this must be, part of another world like the legends said." Lost in her own thoughts, Rose fails to notice the footsteps getting closer and she suddenly feels a hand upon her shoulder. Rose quickly turns around and sees Rem smiling.

Rose breathes a sigh of relief as she says, "You scared me, haha, are you coming with me then?"

Rem nods and says, "Sorry didn't mean to scare you, the queen said it would be best for me to get away from familiar surroundings for a while and that you needed a companion on your journey"

"I'm grateful you chose to accept." Rose says.

Rem laughs as she says, "I didn't really have a choice, I think everyone was tired of seeing me mope around. Not that I would have refused though!"

Rose laughs and says, "Well I'm glad you'll be with me. I don't think I could do this on my own."

Rem pats her on the back and says, "Yeah me either, but I think this will be good for both of us, we can help each other move on, you know."

Rose nods and rubs her eyes and Rem says, "Don't start crying now or I'll end up crying too." Rem takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as she says, "One cannot know love without also knowing despair, Chrol said that once and I thought it sounded nice, but I think I finally understand what he meant. Only by experiencing both joy and misery can a person truly understand themselves and others. I wish I had figured it out sooner."

Rose nods and says, "I definitely see things differently now, but I don't want to become cynical about life."

Rem laughs and says, "Well don't worry about that. You'd be a real downer and it would bum me out too, so count on me to keep you in line."

Rose laughs and says, "Alright then, that sounds..."

Rose is interrupted by a rumbling under her feet and dread sets in quickly.

"Hey relax, there's no way..." Rem says, but her voice trails off as she watches in awe.

An explosion can be heard far off in the distance although it's over the horizon and can't be seen.

"No, not again, why is this happening?" Rose says as she quickly regains her composure and looks to the west, the direction Eris was headed.

"You think your friend is there now?" Rem asks.

Rose nods and replies, "That's where she went. Maybe I activated the monolith after it was already too late. I hope that means Eris wasn't late as well."

Rem's eyes widen as she watches a gigantic piece of land floating into the air just before it is enveloped in white light. From this distance, the spheres appear small, but Rose knows how massive they really are and knows more people must be dying.

"We have to go now, Eris might be in trouble." Rose says as she and Rem mount up and begin riding to the west.

As they ride, Rose now bears witness to the rest of the convergence, the part she was unconscious during last time. The spheres continue drifting upwards until they are just a speck of light in the sky and then another light begins to fall down nearby. It slowly spirals downward until it reveals itself to be another sphere as it slowly disappears over the horizon. There is a final massive tremor and then all the floating debris falls back down. This far away, there is no way to know how bad it is, but if it's the same as before, anything close to the monolith in the desert would have been obliterated.

The girls ride on for a while in silence, until Rem says, "Gisele told me about what happened, I don't want to dash your hopes or anything, but do you really believe Eris can revive your sisters?"

Rose thinks for a moment before saying, "I'm still not sure, but if there's even the slightest chance, I'm going to try."

Along the way Rose and Rem chat about their lives, trying to take their minds off recent events, and after they stop for the night, the girls make camp and eat a small meal.

"So are you from Alissi?" Rose asks.

Rem shakes her head and replies, "No I was born in a small village to the north, Rugen. It was close to the border, but that's when the Ryders began to push into our territory. They started kidnapping people and burning entire villages to the ground. Rugen happened to be one of those villages and most of the villagers were killed, including my family. Apparently, Alissian soldiers found me a day later under some debris and brought me back to the city."

Rose looks surprised and says, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Rem laughs and says, "It's alright, I don't remember anything from back then anyway. Once Queen Seraphina saw me, she took me in and when Gisele was born I helped take care of her. After that I learned I had a natural aptitude for magic so I began studying and, well, here I am."

Rose tells Rem about her quiet life in Burket village and how food was getting dangerously low.

"Seems like things are getting worse everywhere you look. Let's hope Eris can really fix things." Rem says cheerfully.

The desert comes into view after two days and as their horses trot into the sand Rem says, "It's another four days ride through the desert before we get to the monolith. It's supposed to be near Gracia, let's hope they're in a good mood when we get there."

Rose looks to Rem and says, "Have you ever been to Gracia before?"

Rem shakes her head and says, "No, but I've met a few Gracians and they've told me a little bit about it. It's supposed to be even bigger than Alissi and very well hidden in the desert."

Rem looks around and says, "It goes on forever, just sand and rock for miles in every direction. It's amazing they've been able to live here at all, let alone fight monsters and the Ryders."

Rose takes in the view and admits, "It is beautiful in its own way, but the heat is unbearable. How do they stand it?"

The horses gallop through the desert sand as Rem thinks and finally replies, "I'm not sure, I've never really asked. They all have darker skin though, probably because they live in this horrid heat."

Rose laughs at Rem's almost childish response as they continue through the desert. By the time the girls reach the edge of the clear path of destruction caused by the convergence, their food and water supplies have run out.

Rem says, "Let's check it out and try to find some water."

Rose agrees and they ride towards the center of the area. This time, the convergence has placed areas of forests into the sandy dunes of the desert. The sand has erased most traces of the explosions, but several large sections of what appears to be a city wall are littered around the desert. Rose and Rem make their way through the area and they become aware of someone following them.

Rem looks around and sees nowhere to hide except the areas of forests and she says, "Let's keep our distance from the trees, who knows what crossed over this time."

Rose nods and the girls stick to the sand as they move further from the trees. Rose feels uneasy and turns to Rem, but behind her she sees a wide trail of sand coming closer and she quickly grabs Rem's hand and pulls her away as a monster bursts out of the sand. Rose and Rem stare in utter shock as they gaze upon the creature.

It is a gigantic snake, but instead of a head, a woman's body is somehow fused with the serpent. Her body is covered in scales except for her face and chest, although her face is elongated and looks bestial. The woman is pale and completely nude, but when she opens her slitted, golden eyes, she hisses and her long forked tongue whips around as she bears her fangs.

"What the hell!?" Rem says.

Rose stares in disbelief and says, "Why is there a woman attached to it?"

The snakewoman doesn't seem to understand and lashes out violently, her mouth agape as her fangs practically drip with venom. She uses her long claws and powerful tail to strike at the girls but Rem deftly evades and throws a ball of fire at the woman. Rose quickly draws her sword as the woman hisses and charges towards Rem.

Rose runs after the beast and stabs her sword into the woman's serpentine tail, causing her to lift and swing it with Rose still attached. Rose hits the sand hard and loses her grip on her sword as she struggles to her feet. Breathing heavily, Rose picks up her sword and rushes towards the creature as she lashes out at Rem. The snakewoman dives in and Rem tries to dodge, but the woman's agile tail wraps around Rem and soon she is bound.

Before Rose can reach her, the woman sinks her fangs into Rem's neck and holds her in her jaws as she watches Rose approach. Rem goes limp and Rose is flooded with emotion. Memories of her sisters, helpless just like Rem, distract her and the woman releases her fangs and grabs Rose with her scaly arms. Rose struggles in vain as the woman lifts her into the air and brings her closer.
Her fingers are long and tipped with claws and her arms are slender, but she has more than enough strength to lift Rose up to her eye level. The snakewoman opens her mouth and bears her fangs as Rose tries to break free. Just before the woman's fangs meet Rose's flesh, she stops and blinks as she looks down. Rose follows her gaze and sees a gaping wound in the woman's snake like body as she screams in pain and throws Rose to the ground.

Rose tumbles across the sand and winces in pain before returning to her feet. She sees the woman slowly backing away from a man who calmly advances toward her. The man's long black hair blows in the wind and Rose can't make out any more details, but his silver armor and tan clothing suggest he is Gracian. The woman releases Rem and lunges at the man as he draws his sword faster than rose can see.

The snakewoman's arm comes flying off as blood sprays into the air and she screams in pain before hissing and attacking again. She tries to bite the man but he simply raises his sword and with a loud grunt, he cuts the woman in half as energy extends beyond his blade and cleanly cuts the woman down the length of her serpentine body. Her halves fall to the ground on either side of the man and he turns his attention towards the unconscious Rem who lies a few feet away. Rose runs toward the man and he immediately turns around, his hand still gripping his bloodstained sword.

"Thank you for saving us, I..." Rose begins.

She stops speaking as the man raises his sword to her neck and says, "Thought you were dead, from what I've heard you Alissians can't take very much. What are you two doing out here?"

"We were, trying to see what happened here a few days ago." Rose says glancing at Rem.

The man looks angry now as he says, "The same thing that happened to Alissi a few days ago, what the hell do you think? I'll ask you one last time, why are you here?"

He presses his blade against Rose's neck and she says, "Wait, we haven't done anything wrong, you can't just kill us!"

The man calmly replies, "Make no mistake, I very well could kill you two. After what happened here, two Alissians at the center of the destruction wouldn't last long against mobs demanding justice. Fortunately for you, Gracians are not barbaric like the Ryders. You will be presented to the queen and she will decide what to do with you."

Rose sighs and says, "We'll go peacefully, there's no need for your sword."

Rose unbuckles her sword from her hip and hands it to the man.

He takes it and says, "Smart move. I'll carry her, just start walking."

Rose looks around and then asks, "Which way?"

The man sighs and points towards a large rocky outcropping as he picks up Rem and they begin walking. The man follows close behind Rose as they approach and she sees a path leading down behind the tall rocks. Rose walks past a large stone and realizes it its part of a city wall.

"Is this Gracia?" Rose asks in disbelief.

The man nods and replies, "What's left of it. Stick to the wall and we'll end up near the palace."

Rose looks relieved and says, "Then at least some people survived, that's good."

The man seems surprised by Rose's concern as he says, "Yeah, one of those spheres of light took almost half the city, but in recent years the outer edges of the city were abandoned so even though most of the city itself is gone, our people will survive. I guess the monsters constantly trying to raid our city ended up being a blessing in disguise. I don't even want to think about the death toll if those districts were populated."

Rose thinks and says, "Your queen is alright, does that mean the palace is intact too?"

The man smiles and says, "Yeah, it was built into the stone and it took a beating, but it's still in one piece."

Rose notices now that the sand she walks upon conceals the destroyed sections of Gracia as she passes a rooftop slightly protruding from the sand. The path leads down and Rose sees more Gracians working to remove as much sand as they can.

"What the hell did you bring back this time Daal?" A burly man says as he digs his shovel into the sand and walks over to the man following Rose.

"They were near the site of the convergence, I'm bringing them to Queen Kathryn for judgement." Daal says.

The man takes a look at Rose and then says, "Alissians huh? Long way from home."

Daal nods and says, "Yes, well I'll be on my way then."

The man waves and says, "Sure, see ya later."

Daal takes the lead now as he says, "The palace is this way, don't get any ideas though."

"I would never leave Rem behind and we don't have any supplies, so we wouldn't get very far." Rose replies.

Daal laughs as he says, "True, you know I like you. Brutally honest and cute too. You'll make a fine wife for someone one day."

Rose blushes but quickly regains focus as they approach a large set of doors built into the rock wall.

"Here it is. A little advice before you meet with the queen, be truthful and respectful. You may not be a Ryder, but you are still a stranger in these lands." Daal says before opening the reinforced doors.

The inside of the palace looks much nicer than Rose expected for being carved into rock. Torches light the large room and a long red carpet sprawls from the doorway to the throne positioned against the back wall. Rose follows Daal to the throne and sees three men and a woman blocking her view of the queen.

"Who's there? Get the hell out of my way dammit!" A woman's voice says as one of the men is kicked from behind and falls face first onto the floor.

The others move aside and Rose sees Queen Kathryn sitting on her throne with her legs crossed. The Queen has tanned skin and fiery red hair down to her shoulders and her piercing green eyes examine Rose and Rem.

"My queen, these Alissians were found near the site of the convergence. I brought them to you for judgement." Daal says as he kneels and lowers his head.

"I see, you may leave us. That goes for the rest of you too." Kathryn says.

One of the men replies, "I could never leave my queen alone with, urgh!"

The man is interrupted by Kathryn punching him in the face.

"Get out before I get really pissed." Kathryn says calmly and the man quickly follows the others out of the room.

Kathryn sighs and sits back on her throne before saying, "Sorry about that, sometimes I need to remind them I'm not some helpless noble. So what brings Alissians out here? I heard your city was ravaged by the convergence as well, so it seems suspicious that you would abandon your home. What's more, you were found in the center of the recent destruction, so what do you have to say for yourself?"

Rose remembers Daal's advice and decides to tell the queen everything. Rose begins telling her story, making sure to leave nothing out, and Kathryn seems interested when she mentions Eris and again when she speaks of General Gohr.

Kathryn leans and rests her chin in her hand as she says, "Interesting, but a few things don't add up. I find it hard to believe that you met a goddess, and you also said you killed a Ryder general along with his soldiers. I've only seen a handful of Alissians that were actually competent when it came to battle, and you certainly don't look that tough to me."

Rose looks down and says, "If you don't believe me, I understand, I'm not really sure I believe it happened either, but please, my friend was bitten by a snake... woman in the desert, she needs help."

Kathryn looks to Rem lying next to Rose and says, "I want to speak with her as well, so she won't be dying just yet. I'll have her treated, but in the mean time, I think you are going to undergo a trial."

Rose looks confused and says, "What kind of trial?"

Kathryn smiles and says, "A duel. I'll be watching and judging your every move."

Rose tries to object but Kathryn rises from her throne and calls the men from before back into the room.

"Take this girl to my chambers and treat her injuries." Kathryn says pointing to Rem and two men lift her up and carry her down the hall. "Prepare the arena and inform Raysher. Our guest will be meeting him shortly." Kathryn says as she walks away.

The lone woman that was guarding Kathryn steps forward and says, "Come with me."

Rose follows the woman down the hall to a stairway leading underground. When she reaches the bottom, Rose steps into a large room. There is a pit with a balcony overlooking the area and the woman leads Rose to the entrance of the arena. Rose's sword is returned to her along with a steel breastplate. The woman helps Rose into the armor, although it feels very heavy and cumbersome.

"Thank you for helping me, I'm Rose, what's your name?" Rose asks with a smile.

The woman only replies, "If you survive, then perhaps I'll tell you."

Rose now understands this duel will be a fight to the death and suddenly she feels frightened. Kathryn appears on the balcony along with two other men and they sit down as the gate on the other side of the arena slowly opens. A man walks out wearing full Gracian armor and he carries a large sword over his shoulder. He stops in the center of the arena and then the gates in front of Rose begin to open.

"That is Raysher Bergot." The woman says as she finishes adjusting Rose's armor before she continues, "He is a very skilled knight, I suppose you won't learn my name after all."

Rose's confidence plummets as the woman walks away, and she is left alone as the gates open and she slowly walks into the arena.

Kathryn stands up and says, "Rose, you said you were able to fight off several Ryders and even kill a General. Raysher has done the same, so I'm curious to see if you are telling the truth. This will be a fight to the death, but only if you demonstrate the three principles Gracia was founded upon, will you pass this test. If you somehow kill Raysher and show none of these qualities, you'll fail, meaning you and your friend will be put to death."

Rose panics and says, "What are the qualities you're looking for?"

Kathryn laughs and says, "If I told you that, it wouldn't be much of a test, would it?" Kathryn return to her seat and yells, "Begin!"

Raysher quickly moves in and his sword comes crashing down as Rose narrowly avoids it. She readies herself and meets Raysher's blade, but he is much stronger and the force of his swing sends Rose tumbling across the arena.

Raysher rests his sword on his shoulder and says, "Is this all you've got? How disappointing."

Raysher's words echo through Rose's mind and the image of Gohr killing Chrol flashes before her. The sorrow turns to rage as Rose thinks of vengeance but if fades into a strange calm. Raysher smiles as he lifts his sword and Rose turns to look at him with a determined look on her face. His movements appear slow, although Rose knows he isn't putting much effort into his swing.

She can almost feel the intention behind Raysher's actions and strangely, it feels like Raysher is not out for blood. Rose blocks his sword and Raysher increases his speed, striking slightly faster until Rose can hardly keep up. As she slowly backs away, Rose trips and just before she hits the ground, she sees Raysher's blade coming towards her face. Rose doesn't flinch, still sensing no bloodlust in his attacks, and after hitting the ground, she points her sword at Raysher's neck.

The tip of Raysher's sword stops before it enters her flesh and Raysher laughs as he says, "So you do have some fight in you huh?"

He reaches up and removes his helmet, throwing it far behind him revealing his short brown hair and deep brown eyes.

Raysher smiles and says, "Are you aware of it?"

Rose slowly stands and says, "Aware of what?"

"If you were able to keep up with me, then you must feel it. Senses heightened beyond normal levels, that calm feeling when your very life hangs in the balance. It is the sign that you posses true potential, like myself and many others." Raysher explains as he circles Rose, dragging his sword behind him.

"What? I feel different but..." Her words trail off as she loses focus and everything returns to normal.

Raysher moves almost too fast to see as he says, "Was your fight with the Ryders the first time you used it? You can't even keep yourself focused can you?"

Rose barely dodges as Raysher's sword almost impales her and she tries to focus. She feels the calm wash over her again and as she blocks Raysher's attack, she gets the feeling he's holding back.

"Stop toying with me, I'm not some child." Rose says as she blocks another attack and the two lock blades.

"As you wish." Raysher says and he quickly kicks Rose and sends her flying into the wall.

Before she even hits the ground, Raysher grabs her by the throat and then tosses her across the arena. Rose flails in mid air trying to right herself but Raysher leaps up and slashes her arm. Rose hits the ground with her back and bounces before returning to the dirt and gasping in pain. Rose coughs up blood as more seeps through her shirt and drips down her arm. The cut is deep and it makes it painful to use her left arm.

Rose clutches her sword as she rolls over and slowly gets up. Rose is breathing heavily and her focus is waning, leaving her vision blurry. Raysher's attacks are too fast for her to follow, but deep cuts open on both her legs, as Raysher spins around and slashes her back. The armor cracks under the pressure, but it prevents the blade from cutting her, as she falls to her knees and Raysher kicks her across the arena once more. Rose tumbles though the dirt, leaving a small trail of blood as Raysher looks up towards Kathryn.

She stands and says, "Well, I guess that's that. Too bad about your sisters, but at least you'll be reunited once again. Finish this Raysher."

Rose slowly rises to her feet, her legs trembling in pain and she suddenly feels like a fire has been lit inside her. Her body feels like power is rushing through it so fast she might explode. She senses Raysher's blade and swings hard, cutting his huge sword in half as the tip spins through the air and lands in the dirt. Before he can react, Rose slashes down hard and her blade pierces the thick metal armor, leaving a large bloody slash across Ryasher's chest.

He falls to his knees and coughs up blood as he looks up at Rose and Kathryn says, "Very impressive, now finish him."

Rose looks into Raysher's eyes and then tosses her sword to the ground while staring defiantly at Queen Kathryn.

Kathryn smiles and says, "Well done my Alissian friend, you pass! Get them to the healers at once, and Rose, come by my chambers after you're feeling better."

Rose wasn't expecting that and as she sighs in relief, her concentration breaks and the pain returns in full and she drops to her knees.

"A... good fight." Raysher says as he breathes shallowly.

"You were holding back, Kathryn told you not to kill me, didn't she?" Rose asks.

Raysher lets out a pained laugh and says, "Apologies, but you put up... a hell of a fight."

Rose laughs and then winces in pain as blood slowly pools around the fighters. A few moments later, several men and women rush into the arena and begin healing their wounds. Rose watches in amazement as her cuts slowly close up and the pain fades away.

It takes a few hours, but Raysher and Rose are fully healed and as the exhausted healers begin to leave the arena Raysher says, "I'll show you to the Queen's chambers."

Rose nods and follows Raysher back up the staircase and into the palace.

He leads Rose upstairs and down a hall where he turns around and says, "With some training, you could become a fine warrior. It was a pleasure dueling you Rose."

Rose smiles and says, "Thanks for going easy on me."

Raysher opens the doors and Rose walks into the room. It is sparsely decorated and hardly looks like a royal bedroom, the empty rock walls making it look more like a prison cell with no windows.

Kathryn is standing by the bed where Rem is lying and she says, "Don't be shy, come on in. So, you feeling better?"

Kathryn smiles and Rose says, "Yeah, but was all that really necessary?"

Kathryn laughs and says, "Of course! I had my doubts, but there's no way some random Alissian girl could match Raysher. Unless you really were given some of Eris's power that is. Sorry to push you, but sometimes people need a good kick."

Rose is still confused and asks, "So what were you judging me on?"

Kathryn leans back and says, "Strength, will, and compassion. Sounds simple enough but make someone think they are going to die and you get to see their true colors. You stood toe to toe with Raysher so I know you're strong enough, and you wouldn't kill him despite being ordered to, showing compassion and your own iron will."

Rose sighs in relief that she passed and looks to Rem and says, "How is she?"

Kathryn smiles and says, "She's sleeping it off, should be good as new in no time."

"That's good." Rose replies.

"What is your plan then, find Eris and bring your sisters back?" Kathryn asks.

Rose thinks and says, "Yes, but first I have to help her stop the convergence from happening again. She said there were four monoliths and two of them have been destroyed now. I know there's one to the south, so maybe the other is to the north?"

Kathryn shakes her head and says, "There hasn't been one of those things to the north for a very long time."

Rose looks confused and says, "What do you mean?"

"Rydell had a monolith nearby, like Gracia and Alissi, but the second convergence destroyed it. Rydell was obliterated and their people scattered, living in small tribes until Erimon rose to power and united most of them." Kathryn explains.

Rose is even more confused now and she says, "Wait, the second convergence? That happened almost two hundred years ago, how could King Erimon still be alive?"

Kathryn has a grim look on her face as she says, "The Ryder mages found a way to extend a person's life and Erimon had them sacrifice themselves so he could live longer. I guess it's not permanent though because I hear he looks quite old now."

Rose had never heard about magic like that and Kathryn seems to be very knowledgeable so Rose asks, "Why is King Erimon invading Alissi, isn't he also at war with your people?"

Kathryn sighs and says, "Yes, we've been fighting them since before I was born, and my father was killed when I was only thirteen. I had to take over the empire and make sure our people survived. As for why, I don't have an answer for that. He was around before my father's time, but stories say he changed after his life was extended. He became ruthless and cruel, and anyone who disagreed with him ended up dead. He rules through fear and that's what caused about a third of Rydell to come settle out here."

Rose looks surprised and says, "I thought Ryders founded Gracia as a stronghold."

Kathryn shrugs and says, "Technically that's true, we are descendants of Ryders and this was a stronghold against the monsters, but we also began fighting the Ryders in time."

Rose thinks for a moment before saying, "Then if there's no monolith in the north, where could the final one be?"

"Hell if I know, but maybe a trip to the southern monolith would give you some answers." Kathryn says with a smile.

Rose replies, "I guess you're right, I can only hope I can meet up with Eris again before she leaves for the final monolith."

"A word of warning though, I've heard that the Ryders pushed out of Alissi didn't return across the border. Apparently, they've been spotted in the southern wastelands." Kathryn says.

Rose looks back at Rem and says, "Thanks for the warning, we'll be careful."

Kathryn laughs and says, "What you need is someone to train you. Why don't you get some rest and I'll see if I can find someone I can spare."
Rose agrees and Kathryn says, "You can stay here for now, I'll be back later."

Rose thanks the queen as she walks away and Rose climbs into bed next to Rem and is soon fast asleep.

Chapter 6 - Ulterior Motives

A cool breeze blows Eris's bright white hair as she materializes and is followed by a woman in black armor. The shoulders, forearms, and knees of the armor have large spikes and a frayed black cape with small holes in it hangs from her back. Her helmet has large horns and the woman's eyes glow red behind the dark metal as she silently follows Eris into a seemingly endless space with a solitary castle being the only thing as far as the eye can see.

The walls of the castle are wrapped in massive tendrils of dark energy and as they approach Eris says, "I suppose I no longer need this."

Eris's skin lightens until it's ghostly pale as her eyes change from pink to light blue. Her short white dress turns into a thick black strap that covers her growing breasts and another wraps itself between her legs and around her waist. The golden jewelry disappears from her around her neck and wrists and are replaced with long black gloves and a lace choker. Long, black high heeled boots materialize over her slender legs as she stretches out. Her hair stays pure white, but gets a bit shorter and is now elegantly styled.

"Ahh, that's better, now come along Helvete, we have work to do." She says as she leads the woman in black inside the palace.

The inside is just as empty as the surrounding area save for a grand throne made from the same tendrils of energy that cover the exterior.

"Now pour your energy into this." The Eris impostor says, setting a small black stone onto the floor.

Helvete raises her arms and the women begin feeding their energy into the stone as it crackles violently. It greedily accepts the energy and begins to glow with a deep purple color. A thick black smoke is released from the stone and Helvete falls to her knees.

"That's enough, it seems you need more power as well." The woman says as a pair of glowing red eyes appear in the smoke.

A distorted voice emanates from the thick black smoke and says, "Who has summoned me?"

The woman smiles and says, "A few centuries has certainly made you forget your manners. Do you not remember me Raziel?"

The smoke forms a vaguely humanoid shape and Raziel kneels and says, "Yona, forgive me. I take it you were successful then?"

"Yes, Eris is no more, but it took almost all of my power. I had to regenerate for a few centuries before I could continue."

Raziel stands and looks at Helvete and Yona says, "She is a replacement, in the event I need to revive unexpectedly."

Raziel looks back to Yona and says, "I see, and how many monoliths remain?"

Yona smiles and says, "Just two. Why don't you take Helvete and regain some of your strength?"

Raziel bows and says, "As you wish."

Helvete silently follows Raziel and as they disappear, Yona sits on her throne and smiles. Raziel and Helvete appear a few feet above ground nearby a small village.

Her heavy armor clinks as Helvete lands on her feet and Raziel slowly floats down and says, "This village is perfect, I assume you know how to feed?"

Helvete remains silent and Raziel says, "Useless husk, draw their life force from their living bodies. If you kill them, it returns to the divine realm and we can't absorb it, understand?"

Helvete nods and Raziel says, "Start on the opposite end and we'll meet in the center. Don't let anyone escape."

Helvete nods and then charges towards the village as Raziel sighs and flies towards the other end. The townspeople stand no chance and soon Raziel sees Helvete in the center of town holding a woman by her neck as her screams fade away and she goes limp.

Helvete tosses the body onto the ground and Raziel says, "That's all of them? These humans have such minuscule amounts of energy, worthless."

Yona appears overhead and floats down before saying, "You see why it took me so long to recover now?"

"Yes, they are pitiful creatures." Raziel says with disgust.

"Did you at least get enough for a body?" Yona asks.

Raziel's eyes shine brightly as the thick smoke begins to solidify and form a body. Raziel stands as his legs form and shadowy black armor appears over his body.

"Yes, I believe this will suffice for now, until someone better comes along." Raziel says.

Yona laughs and says, "Yes, you will need a suitable body, and I think I have someone in mind."

"Expecting resistance?" Raziel inquires.

Yona replies, "Perhaps, but for now she is an asset."

"I see, then where is the next monolith?" Raziel replies.

Yona points her slender finger and says, "To the south."

Raziel looks to Helvete and says, "What about her? She doesn't seem very useful."

Yona smiles and says, "You shouldn't underestimate her, I had my reasons for corrupting her."

Yona places her hand to her chest and the dark crystal exits her flesh as she holds it out to Raziel and says, "Take this and have Helvete activate the monolith."

Raziel takes the crystalline sphere and tilts his head back before dropping it into his mouth and swallowing it whole.

His body becomes more solid and he says, "Yes, this will do nicely."

Yona floats into the air as she says, "Leave once the fifth convergence has begun, I wouldn't want my new pet to get taken to another world."

Yona disappears as Raziel says, "It shall be done."

Raising his arms, Raziel opens a portal and Helvete follows him inside. The portal leads to a dark dimension where even the ground they walk upon seems distorted and sealed portals litter the area as far as the eye can see. As they walk, Helvete begins looking around as if searching for something. She turns away from Raziel and looks towards a distant portal.

"What are you doing!?" Raziel yells as Helvete sprints away from him and exits the dimension.

Raziel quickly follows, ready to kill Helvete, but when he exits the portal, he arrives in a snow covered mountainside and sees a dark skinned bald man in a monk's robes with a surprised look on his face as Helvete raises her hands and black energy begins to form. Raziel is intrigued now and his legs turn to smoke as he lazily floats overhead and watches things unfold. Helvete grasps the black energy as it forms a blade and the man slowly backs away while raising his hands as frost falls from his fingertips.

"Oh I see, so you can sense the crystals? Yona was right, you might have some potential after all. Who would've guessed the Ryders had two crystals?" Raziel muses.

The bald man releases a blast of ice energy towards Helvete but she disappears before it hits. She reappears behind the man and narrowly misses with her first strike. The man leaps back but Helvete swings her sword hard and an arc of black energy races past her blade and cuts the man's leg clean off. He screams as he hits the ground and blood pours from his wound as Helvete approaches.

Suddenly the man raises both hands and hits Helvete with his most powerful blast of ice magic. She is quickly frozen solid and the man clutches his leg and encases his wound in ice. His eyes snap back to Helvete as cracks form in the clear ice and it shatters as she raises her sword and the man screams. Her blade of energy cuts through the man's arm as he tries in vain to defend himself. The man screams again but it is cut short by Helvete's black blade piercing his head. Helvete releases her sword and the energy dissipates as the man's corpse falls onto it's back and blood stains the snow covered ground.

Helvete crouches down and stabs her hand through the man's chest as she digs around inside him and finally withdraws a crystal sphere covered in blood. Raziel quickly descends and takes the crystal, wiping the blood away to reveal the ice crystal and as he peers into it, Raziel sees icy winds swirling inside the small sphere.

It is cold to the touch, a small amount of frost constantly emanating from it, and Raziel tosses it back to Helvete and says, "Take it, but Yona will want it so don't think that it's yours."

Helvete nods and takes the crystal into her hand, closing her fingers into a fist around the sphere as it embeds itself into her palm.

Raziel looks around notices a large town nearby and says, "No reason to let these souls go to waste, maybe these Ryders will have a bit more life in them."

A wicked smile appears on Raziel's face as he raises his arms and uses the power of the dark crystal to shroud the entire village in a black sphere. The villagers begin to panic as the daylight suddenly turns to complete darkness. Raziel and Helvete ravage the small village as the people try in vain to find their way out of the darkness, only to have the life drained out of them.

The ghostly Raziel sheds his solid body returning to smoke form before entering the mouth of a screaming woman. She chokes and then her body spasms as Raziel devours it from the inside. Her flesh falls to the floor and reveals Raziel covered in blood with the same wicked smile from before as he laughs maniacally. Helvete quickly moves between villagers and they struggle before being drained of life and thrown aside.

It doesn't take long before the villagers are all dead and Raziel waves his hand, causing the darkness to slowly disappear. He motions for Helvete to follow as he opens another portal and the two disappear back into the darkness, leaving the corpses and destroyed buildings to be buried in the snow.

As they travel Raziel looks back and says, "Take off like that again and I'll kill you without hesitation, understand?"

Helvete says nothing as they continue walking through the dark dimension.

"Damn it human, answer me! Take off that helmet!" He yells, and Helvete slowly removes her helmet. "Oh, I see." Raziel says as he smiles and continues, "Yona sealed you up tight, didn't she?"

Helvete's mouth is stitched closed and her eyes and ears are covered with a hard black substance. Raziel pokes the stitches weaved through her lips but doesn't get a response.

"Interesting, the corruption has manifested into solid matter. I never thought to use it in this way." Raziel says as he examines Helvete.

He quickly loses interest when she offers no resistance to his continued prodding.

Raziel sighs and says, "You're not making this very enjoyable, why won't you scream for me?"

His fingertips turn into claws and he digs them into her shoulder, but still Helvete remains silent and expressionless. Raziel seems irritated by her lack of response but says nothing as they travel in silence until he opens a portal. The two exit the portal and appear in the southern wastelands.

"Damn, I'm still not at full strength. We should have been in front of the monolith." Raziel says as he looks around.

He spots a village in the distance and says, "There, we'll take their souls and then head to the monolith."

Helvete nods and they begin walking towards the village. When they get close, a young girl is playing with her brother near the entrance and they get scared when they see the intimidating Helvete and the ghastly Raziel approaching.

Raziel raises his arm and as it evaporates into smoke he says, "Gather everyone in town for us, would you?"

The smoke enters the children's mouths and they begin to convulse before they suddenly stop and begin slowly walking into town. Helvete watches as the children tell people to gather in the center of the village and a small crowd forms. After a few minutes Raziel and Helvete walk into town and the villagers begin whispering amongst themselves. Before Raziel can act, Helvete appears next to the villagers and grabs two of them by their necks as she begins draining their life force.

The screams of the townspeople are short lived, gathering them in one place made quick work of the slaughter and afterward, Raziel pats his stomach while saying, "That hit the spot, now where is..."

He cuts himself short as he spots the massive, rectangular black tower in the distance.

"Excellent, come now, let's not keep Yona waiting." Raziel says as he leads Helvete towards the monolith.

After a while, they notice there is a large village set up around the base of the monolith and Raziel laughs as he says, "Human stupidity knows no bounds. Well, they'll be dead before long either way."

Another sickening smile forms on Raziel's face as the two approach the edge of the village.

Chapter 7 - The Southern Monolith

A woman's soft voice wakes Rose as she says, "Hey wake up already, do Alissians just sleep all day?"

Rose opens her eyes and sees a beautiful, dark skinned blonde girl in her late twenties smiling at her.

"About time, you hungry?" The woman says as she sets a tray of food at the end of the bed.

She is wearing a tan robe with a large, sliver and gold Gracian crest emblazoned on the back and she has black tights and a long sleeve white shirt on underneath.

Her amber eyes stare at Rose as she says, "Yes, thank you, um..."

"Oh sorry, my name is Sofita Issoldo, nice to meet you Rose." Rose shakes her hand and Sofita says, "The queen said you needed someone to help you on your journey, sounds like it's gonna get pretty rough if she's sending Rokk too."

"Rokk?" Rose asks.

Sofita laughs as she says, "I know, right? What kind of a name is Rokk? But he's really strong, so no worries there."

Rose softly laughs before eating and as she gets dressed, Rem wakes up.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Rose asks.

Rem yawns and replies, "A little drowsy, where are we?"

Rose tells her what happened while she was out cold and Rem says, "I don't even remember fighting, how weird."

Rose laughs as Rem seems to be alright and she offers her the remaining food. Once the girls are ready, they follow Sofita to the main hall where Kathryn awaits.

As they approach Kathryn says, "There you are, and your friend has woken up as well I see."

Rose nods and says, "Yes, thank you for helping her."

Kathryn waves her hand and says, "It was nothing, but there is something we need to discuss."

Rose hears thunderous footsteps approaching and turns to see a mountain of a man enter the room. He is easily taller and more muscular than even Torq, and his long, shaggy black hair gives him a wild and ferocious presence. His skin is tanned and his dark brown eyes completely ignore everyone but Queen Kathryn as he approaches the throne. The sound of the heavy silver armor he wears echoes through the room.

The man towers over Kathryn as she sits on her throne and she says, "Rose this is Rokk Devoran, he will be accompanying you with Sofita."

Kathryn looks at Rokk and says, "You are to protect these girls and help them until their journey is complete."

Even when Rokk kneels and bows his head to Kathryn, he is much taller than anyone in the room.

"Yes, my Queen." Rokk says in a gruff voice as he stands and looks towards Rose.

His gaze makes her uncomfortable until he returns his attention to Kathryn as she says, "The reports from our scouts aren't good. Ryders have been seen from Gracia all the way to Alissi, and they seem to be massing in the wasteland. It's like they've abandoned their lands completely, it makes no sense. We can't be sure if this is some kind of trap to lure us out but we've got a little something of our own for the Ryders."

Kathryn smiles and stands as she continues, "The convergence has destroyed our once proud city and I'll be damned if I let the Ryders take what's left. Rokk, inform the commanders we march to the southern monolith. Sofita, tell the engineers to make the final preparations and sound the evacuation horns. We'll fight the Ryders head on and if they try to sneak in while we're away, they'll be buried alive."

Kathryn laughs as Rokk and Sofita exit the room and Rose says, "Your abandoning the city?"

Kathryn sighs and says, "Unfortunately, with the threat of Ryders and monsters so close, repairs of this scale are impossible. I really hate to leave it all behind, but it's mostly destroyed anyway. Better to start fresh, maybe somewhere a little less sandy?"

Rose laughs and Kathryn says, "I'm not doing this just for you, Gracians are still fighting for the same thing we've always wanted, peace. Your arrival sped things along, but this is something we must do. Ryders and Gracians have a bloody history, but it ends now."

The girls help Kathryn prepare and after a few hours everything is ready. The entire Gracian army stands at attention as Kathryn rides out on her horse and looks into the crowd.

"Third and sixth detachments, escort the civilians to the shelters. The rest of you will ride with me to the southern wastelands. The Ryders think they can invade our lands, let's show them how wrong they are!" Kathryn says in a commanding tone.

The crowd erupts with soldiers cheering and stomping their boots as Kathryn looks to Rose and says, "This is gonna be one hell of a fight!"

Kathryn raises her fist and races off as the Gracians thunderously march behind her.

Sofita's horse almost veers into Rose's as she says, "Woah! Sorry, I'm really terrible at riding, aahhhh!"

She yells as her horse takes off and Rose laughs as Rem says, "She's a strange one huh?"

The army makes camp after nightfall and as they eat Rose says, "Hey Sofita, what kind of magic do you use?"

Sofita smiles and holds up a single finger as arcs of electricity begin to spiral around it.

"Pretty cool huh?" Sofita says with a grin.

Rose smiles and says, "Yeah, it's amazing. Was it hard to learn to control it?"

Sofita shrugs and says, "Well when I was little, I lived in a small village near Gracia and one night monsters attacked. Almost everyone was killed and I was hurt pretty badly, but then lightning struck one of the monsters and I realized I did it. I killed the rest of the monsters and found my way to Gracia, then when they saw how awesome my magic is, I was offered a position as a mage. I've never really had to train, it's just something I've always been able to do."

Rose is confused about how casually she speaks of her village's destruction and she says, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Sofita laughs and says, "I killed those monsters a long time ago, I'm not holding any grudges or anything. What happened, happened, but I'm still alive and I think my life's been pretty good so far."

Sofita smiles a warm smile and Rose can't help but smile back as she thinks, 'Maybe I should be more like Sofita. She's been through hell and she's still so upbeat, there's no way Amelia and Evelyn would want me to be depressed forever.' Rose and Sofita chat and laugh as the night wears on and eventually they fall asleep. Another hard day's ride is ahead of them as the flat, dried out terrain of the wasteland can be seen in the distance.

Kathryn suggests making camp early and while her soldiers set up, she takes Rose aside and says, "You want to get stronger, right?" Rose nods and Kathryn continues, "Good, but physical strength isn't the only kind of strength. Being able to read your opponents moves is a basic skill you seem to be lacking."

Rose looks down and says, "I know, I..."

Kathryn pats her on the shoulder and says, "That's why I had Rokk join you, now go get strong!"

Kathryn pushes Rose hard and she stumbles forward past the edge of the camp. Rokk approaches holding two giant axes and before she can protest, an axe slams into the ground as Rose dives out of the way. Rokk quickly drags the axe through the ground and it stops inches from Rose's face.

"Pay attention." Rokk says in a deep voice as he repeats the attack only much slower this time. "Follow the momentum of your opponent, their attacks will reveal their weaknesses."
He slowly swings the massive axe and Rose watches as he finishes his swing and there seems to be an opening just before he can attack again. The two continue sparring as Kathryn leans against a tree and watches until they finally stop for dinner.

"You're improving, if you can control your energy, you could be as good as Raysher even." Kathryn says as she pats Rose's back.

"Thanks." Rose says exhausted as she finishes her meal.

When the sun rises, the Gracians move out and soon the wasteland stretches out before them.

Scattered dead trees and dried, cracked earth are the only features in sight and Rem says, "At least it's not scorching hot like in Gracia."

Kathryn laughs and says, "You Alissians need thicker skin, a little hardship is good for building mental strength."

Rem leans close to Rose and whispers, "For some one who's fighting for peace, she sure does talk about strength a lot."

Rose smiles as they ride on and eventually stop for the night and make camp. Rokk trains Rose again tonight and during her lessons, she sees Rem and Sofita casting spells into the night sky.

Rose pants as she catches her breath and Rokk says, "Enough, save your energy for tomorrow."

He lifts an axe over his shoulder and walks away as Rose sits down and takes a drink of water. Sleep comes quickly and in the morning, they once again set out for the southern monolith.

"I thought the Ryders were all over this area, why haven't we seen any yet?" Rem asks.

Kathryn looks around and says, "They were. I don't like this."

"Where could they be?" Sofita asks just before they hear an explosion.

"Another convergence?" Rem asks fearfully.

Rose shakes her head and says, "I don't think so, there are no tremors and those spheres of light aren't here either."

"Ryders." Rokk says as they reach the same conclusion.

Kathryn shouts, "This is it, the Ryder empire will crumble at the hands of Gracia!"

The soldiers cheer and raise their weapons as they follow Kathryn's lead and charge toward the monolith in the distance. As she approaches, Rose sees that the Ryders are fighting monsters and she notices they have no human features like that snakewoman. Several Gracian mages line up and simultaneously send fire screaming through the air and into the crowd of Ryders. The Gracians charge and collide with the Ryder army and the monsters as all out war begins.

Rokk and Sofita stay close to Queen Kathryn as Rem joins the mages in their fiery assault. Rose dismounts and draws her sword as a monster leaps in to attack. Her blade slices into the monster's flesh and it roars before collapsing to the ground. Suddenly, Rose hears someone rapidly approaching on horseback and turns in time to see a man swing his sword as he passes by. Rose quickly dives out of the way and as she gets to her feet, she recognizes her attacker as Eran Sigurd, prince of Rydell.

"Why are you here?" Rose asks but Eran growls and charges in again.

Putting her training to use, Rose waits for the perfect moment and slashes Eran's horse, causing him to fall onto his back. He slams his fist into the ground and gets to his feet as Rose gets a good look at his face and is shocked by what she sees. Eran's eyes are completely black and thick, black blood drips from his mouth.

"What happened to you?" Rose asks and Eran roars into the sky before charging in with his sword.

Rose blocks but his strength seems to have increased even further than last time and the ground begins to crack under Rose's boots. Eran attacks quickly and with deadly force, leaving only the slightest openings as Rose begins to feel the strain of the repeated blows. Her hands sting and tremble from the vibrations but she holds out and Eran is suddenly hit by fire.

Rem rushes over to Rose and says, "Sorry, I didn't even see... Is that..."

Rem trails off as she stares at Eran. She knows Gohr is the one who killed Chrol, but to Rem, Eran is just as guilty.

"You bastard!" Rem screams as she throws another fireball at Eran.

The Ryder prince looks at his body engulfed in flames and laughs as he says in a distorted voice, "Pain and fear have left me, all that's left now is to kill you and your friends for making a fool of me!"

Eran rushes towards Rose still engulfed in fire and she blocks his sword but begins sliding back against the pressure. Rem raises her hands and begins collecting energy as flames dance in her palms. As Eran lifts his blade to strike, Rose slashes his face but he only laughs as his blade crashes into Rose's armor, tearing the metal and cutting her shoulder. She clutches her wound as she backs away and Eran licks the blood from his blade.

He smiles as more of the black blood seeps from his wounds and hits the floor, then suddenly he disappears. Rose quickly focuses and narrowly avoids being cut again as she dodges Eran's sword at the last second. He seems to move even faster than Chrol and as Rose wonders how this is possible, Eran grips his sword with both hands and swings hard. Rose blocks but the force sends her tumbling backwards.

"Get out of there!" Rem yells and Rose sees a huge ball of fire suspended above her.

Eran looks to Rem and Rose quickly returns to her feet, slashing his leg and causing him to kneel.

Rose runs away and Rem says, "This is for Chrol you piece of shit!"

Rem launches the spell at Eran as his leg is covered in black blood and he stands up. Eran raises his hands and catches the sphere of fire but it forces him down to his knees. He struggles in vain as the fire burns away his flesh and as his arms wither away, it consumes him. To their horror, Rem and Rose watch as the fire dissipates and Eran shakily tries to get up. Burned bone and muscle are exposed and as he desperately tries go hold his sword the black substance pours from his eyes and ears.

More falls from his mouth as he says, "Damn... you, you should... be dead, not me..."

What's left of Eran collapses and Rem says, "What the hell was the black stuff all over him?"

Rose shakes her head and says, "I don't know, but we need to get to the monolith."

Rem nods and as they pass Kathryn she says, "Don't worry about me damn it!" Kathryn stabs a Ryder through the chest and says, "You two are supposed to be protecting them, so go!"

Rokk and Sofita are hesitant, but follow Rose as she races toward the monolith. As they get close, they realize there was once a village surrounding the monolith but it has been completely destroyed, leaving only rubble around the imposing structure. Rose reaches the base of the monolith as her companions fight off the Ryders and monsters.

Rose takes a moment to look around at the chaos and something catches her eye. Among the sea of warriors fighting for their lives, two figures stand out as they remain motionless in the center of the battle. One wears black, evil looking armor with spikes and the other is like a shadow with no real features except a human shape. They stare at Rose as she gets a sense of dread and looks back to the monolith.

"Rose what are you waiting for?" Rem yells and Rose snaps back to reality as she reaches out and touches the smooth surface of the monolith.

After a moment, Rose feels a pulse from inside the monolith and the ground begins to shake violently.

Rose watches in horror as explosions begin decimating both armies and Rokk shouts, "We must leave now!"

Rose looks up and sees the bright white light surround the area as she leads her friends away from the monolith. The land rises into the air and Rose leaps off and lands on the ground.

Rem is right behind and Rokk lands with a heavy thud as he carries Sofita over his shoulder and she says, "Thanks big guy."

As they run, Rose looks back and thinks aloud, "Why is this happening? It's supposed to stop the convergence."

An explosion throws Rose off balance and she falls down as a monster lunges for the easy target. Rokk yells as he swings his massive axes and cuts the beast in half. Rose thanks Rokk and he nods before they continue heading back towards Kathryn and the Gracians. Suddenly a storm cloud appears over head and lightning strikes the battlefield, although it only targets the Gracians. Rose stops and looks toward the dark grey cloud spewing electricity and she feels a hand on her shoulder.

"Leave this to me, go find the queen and make sure she's alright." Sofita says as she walks forward and raises her arms high into the air. Her eyes begin to glow and her hands crackle with electricity as she says, "This is my specialty, watch this!"

Sofita shoots her energy into the cloud and it begins to swirl, growing larger until the lightning resumes, only now it's hitting monsters and Ryder soldiers. Rose and the others join the Gracians as the war of attrition drags on. The Gracians are beginning to tire after marching but the Ryders seem to get more ferocious as time goes on and they become more injured. Rose defends Rem as she blasts fire into the crowd of Ryders and Sofita fights beside Kathryn.

Rokk is undeterred by the magical storm and charges through the Ryders, swinging his twin axes wildly while bodies fly and blood sprays into the air. All the Ryder soldiers seem to be like Eran as black blood slowly seeps from their wounds, and they continue fighting even as their bodies are torn apart. An explosion sends Kathryn and Sofita flying as Rokk notices and sprints toward them, crushing Ryders under his monstrous boots. Rose sees Kathryn and Sofita getting up and focuses on her own fight as the Ryders begin to encircle the dwindling Gracians.

They attack in large numbers making the fight hectic and unpredictable, as the Ryders take much more damage than should be possible. Rose sees the two black figures from before slowly approaching and as the Ryders try to attack them, they seem to be hit with some invisible force and are violently thrown away.

Rem raises her hands toward them and says, "Who are those two?"

Rose shakes her head and says, "I don't know but they're coming this way. What should we do?"

Rem thinks and says, "They're killing Ryders, so maybe they're Gracians?"

Rose feels uneasy as they draw closer and the Ryders begin thinning out as they focus their attention on Rokk and Sofita as they protect the queen along with the remnants of the Gracian army. The figures in black continue their advance and Rose can now see by the shape of the armor that is is a woman, but the other one looks like he's standing in shadows even when in the sunlight. His red eyes faintly glow and its body seems to produce some kind of smoke.

Without a word, the woman in black armor raises her hand and fires a beam of purple energy at Rose. Rose quickly turns around and tackles Rem to the floor as the beam passes just above her and hits a dead tree near where Rokk is fighting. There is a massive explosion and even the giant Rokk is lifted off his feet and sent flying.

Rose gets to her feet and helps Rem up as a masculine voice says, "Worthless trash. You didn't even hit one, let me show you how it's done."

The smoky figure walks closer as several long, pitch black tendrils emerge from his back as he smiles and says, "I think I'll start with, you."

A smoky tendril suddenly races toward Rem and Rose slashes down hard. Although her blade cut through it, the tendril immediately reattaches and impales Rem through the chest.

She coughs up blood as Rose screams, "Rem!"

Rose charges toward the man but before her sword connects, he vanishes.

"Too slow." The man laughs from right behind Rose and she gasps in surprise as his arm turns to smoke and enters Rose's mouth.

She tries to cough but she can feel her body tensing up and her muscles begin to burn. Suddenly, a light blue bolt of lightning streaks across the sky and zigzags it's way towards them. It crashes into the ground close by and kicks up a cloud of dirt as the man and woman look towards the impact and Rose struggles to breathe.

The dust settles to reveal an old man with a short white beard and a cane. He looks about sixty and wears a loose fitting light blue robe tied at the waist with a red and black belt. His black pants are frayed and look worn and he twirls his cane before firing a bright sphere of light at the man. He instantly reacts and Rem is released as she falls to the ground and the black smoke leaves Rose through her mouth and nose. The man leaps back as the woman shields her eyes from the light.

"Damn, why didn't you sense him coming?" The man says as he hits the woman, but she doesn't react and he says, "We have to go for now, Helvete are you listening?"

The woman nods but stares at Rose as she chokes and breathes heavily. The man grabs her as they disappears into a portal and it closes immediately after.

Rose runs to Rem and cradles her head in her arms she she says, "Rem, you're going to be alright, just hold on, I'll..."

Rem reaches up and wipes a tear from Rose's eye as she says, "It's ok, I can be... with Chrol now." Rem winces in pain and then smiles as she says, "You still... have to find Eris... so don't , go giving uhh."

Rem's eyes dilate and her body goes limp as Rose screams and hugs Rem's body tightly.

"Please close your eyes young one." The old man says and Rose quickly looks back, having forgotten he was even there.

Rose holds Rem and rests her head against her shoulder as she closes her eyes and the man lifts his cane into the air. A blinding flash sweeps over the area and the battle comes to a halt as soldiers flail around blindly. The sudden lack of clashing swords makes Rose open her eyes and she sees the man more clearly now. he has long white hair, although it isn't bright like Eris's hair was. With a warm smile he extends a hand covered in callouses and deep lines.

Rose gently lays Rem down and the man helps her to her feet as she marvels at his power and says, "Who are you?"

"This is not the place or time, take my hand and we will leave here." The man says as he once again offers Rose his hand.

Rose shakes her head and says, "No, I can't leave everyone behind."

The man looks towards Kathryn, Sofita, and Rokk as they wipe their eyes and stumble around.

He sighs and says, "I don't have enough power for everyone, I can only take you. They seem to be capable warriors, but we need to talk before you continue on this path."

Rose is confused and hesitantly backs away as the man says, "I am not your enemy, but if you do not hear my words, you may be the end of us all."

Rose is frightened and looks to Kathryn who seems to be regaining her vision.

She sees Rose next to the old man and begins to run toward her as the he says, "I have the answers you seek but there is little time, you must make a decision."

Rose slowly raises her hand and the old man says, "Thank the stars Yona hasn't gotten to you yet."

He takes Rose's hand and they disappear before Kathryn's eyes as she yells, "Rose!"

Chapter 8 - Truth

The world rushes by faster than Rose can comprehend and suddenly she is standing outside a small house on a cliff.

She drops to her knees and vomits as her body reels from the shock and the man says, "Terribly sorry, the first time through a portal is always rough."

He hands Rose a cloth as she stands and wipes her mouth before saying, "What happened, where are we?"

The man smiles and says, "I used a portal to take us back to my home. I am Caim Ghestal, I apologize for the sudden interjection, but I have been watching you for some time now Rose."

Rose looks scared and tenses up as the man waves his hand and says, "I didn't mean it like that..." He sighs and says, "How much do you know about what is happening to our world?"

Rose is confused and says, "You mean the convergence? Eris said if we activated the monoliths, it would prevent them from happening."

Caim furls his brow and says, "As I feared. Rose, you have been pulled into a web of deceit spanning hundreds of years." He looks very serious now as he says, "The goddess of life, Eris, was slain over six hundred years ago by the goddess of death, Yona."

Rose is in shock and says, "Yona? I've never even heard of her before."

Caim sighs and says, " It's not surprising, people saw Eris freely giving her blessing but they only ever saw Yona when they died and were ushered into the divine realm to await rebirth. Over time something changed and Yona killed Eris and assumed her identity, although she couldn't replicate her powers and the land became barren."

Rose can't believe what she's hearing and she says, "What would make gods kill one another?"

Caim calmly responds, "Gods are tremendously powerful beings capable of shaping the world, but they are all born human. Nothing is perfect."

"What!?" Rose blurts out.

Caim nods and continues, "It's true, humans possess something special, but most people can never tap into this strength. Very rarely, a child is born and if they can master their powers, they transcend the cycle of life and death to become gods."

"What is it? What do we have that's so special?" Rose asks.

Caim shakes his head and says, "That I do not know. I have studied for many years and have several theories, but the truth still eludes me. In my travels I happened across this, and then my research took a turn I hadn't expected."

Caim touches his cane and the bulbous handle begins to distort as a bright light exits the short wooden staff.

He pulls a shining sphere from the cane and holds it up as he says, "This is the light crystal, one of four."

Rose nods and says, "Yeah Eris, I mean Yona, has the dark crystal."

The old man nods and says, "Yona inhabits a special divine realm and although I try to keep up with her, she always seems to be one step ahead. She has been manipulating you Rose, the monoliths do not prevent the convergence, they are the catalyst, the trigger."

Rose looks horrified as she looks at her hands and says, "Gods, what have I done..."

She begins to cry at the realization that she is responsible for two separate disasters, and hundreds of deaths.

"Fear not child, you are not to blame." Caim says soothingly.

"I caused the destruction of Alissi and killed all of those people at the southern monolith too. I'm... a murderer." Rose protests.

Caim places his hand of Rose's shoulder and says, "A murderer wouldn't feel remorse."

Rose wipes her tears and says, "Why is Yona doing this?"

"I believe she was corrupted and has been causing convergences in order to spread it to other worlds." Caim says.

"Corrupted, by what?" Rose asks.

Caim shakes his head and says, "I do not know exactly what it is, but it appears as a thick black substance."

Rose surmises that must be what happened to Eran and the Ryders as well as Gohr.

Rose thinks and then asks, "So who, or what was that man with Yona?"

Caim shakes his head and says, "That was not Yona, I've never seen her before. As for the man, I haven't seen him before either, but his powers reminded me of something I read once."

Caim stands up and looks through the large bookcase behind his seat until he finds the book he's looking for and says, "Here it is."

He flips through the pages and stops as his light green eyes scan the dusty tome.

"Raziel, it must be him. The description fits his appearance and his known powers are very similar. Yona and that other woman must have summoned him back into this realm." Caim explains.

"Who is Raziel?" Rose asks in confusion.

Caim quickly reads a few passages to himself and then says, "A very old spirit, one that has been thoroughly corrupted. He was supposed to have been sealed away after the first convergence, but it seems he walks among the living once more."

Rose looks down and thinks before she says, "Caim, what happens when all of the monoliths have been activated?"
He looks serious and says, "That I do not know. Even ancient legends hardly speak of the monoliths, but from what I've pieced together, they were built by the old gods to protect Rhea from something."

"To protect the world?" Rose thinks aloud.

Caim adds, "Nothing is mentioned of what it could be, but perhaps they knew of the corruption and created the monoliths as a way to save the inhabitants of this world by taking them to another."

Rose thinks for a moment and then says, "Then why is Yona activating them? They only seem to destroy everything around them and bring more monsters."

Caim says, "It is puzzling, but perhaps it is better to get answers from Yona herself rather than speculate."

Rose looks to Caim and says, "You know where the last monolith is?"

He nods and says, "There is an island to the southeast, I have been there before while studying the crystals and happened upon a monolith."

"Then that's where she's headed, but do you think we can stop her, she's still a goddess..." Rose says halfheartedly.

Caim laughs and says, "Do you know why some humans are able to use magic but not others? Or how some can seemingly move faster than should be possible?"

Rose shakes her head and Caim continues, "It's because they have awakened that power that lay dormant in us all, however, that does not make them gods. They cannot reach beyond their own limits and very few of them if any will fully awaken as gods, but I believe you are different."

Rose's eyes widen as she says, "Me?"

"Yes, you have survived where others would have perished and if I'm not mistaken, you have also seen time flow differently." Caim says.

Rose thinks back and says, "Yeah, when I concentrate, things slow down and I can think clearly."

Caim waves his finger and says, "Time does not slow, you are perceiving things much faster than others around you."

Rose looks at her hands again and says, "So, you're saying I'm a goddess?"

Caim laughs and says, "Well not exactly. I believe you may be able to awaken your divinity, but there's no guarantee."

Rose thinks and says, "How do I do that? I need more power to stop Yona."

Caim puts his hand on Rose's shoulder and says, "Patience child, this is something you mustn't rush. There is no record of how a person can awaken their dormant power, but I suspect it would be different each time, unique to the individual."

Rose hangs her head and says, "There's no time to train, Yona will activate the monolith any time now."

"Actually, I believe there is a reason Yona waited so long between convergences before now. It must drain her power considerably, especially if she is using the monolith for an unintended purpose. When she met you, she must have sensed your divinity and that's why she used you, so she could activate one herself, however, that woman in black armor is troubling. If Yona gave her power to that woman, she could activate the monolith in her place while Yona is regaining strength in her realm. Still, there is some kind of resonance on that island that interferes with magic, so no portals will open there. They would have to cross the ocean the same as us and that gives us a few days." Caim explains.

Rose looks puzzled and says, "A few days for what? Shouldn't we leave now and catch up?"

Caim places the light crystal back into his cane and holds it up as it quickly brightens. The light forms an image and Rose sees Kathryn and the Gracian army chasing the Ryders towards the sea, where Ryder warships are docked.

"I believe your friends will follow the Ryders as they flee towards the island. I can open a portal onto their ship before the interference gets too strong. In the mean time, you can hone your powers here." Caim says.

Rose looks back at the image of Kathryn and even though it makes sense to stay and train, she can't help but feel guilty for leaving her comrades.

"Alright, I'll stay." Rose says confidently and then asks, "Caim, why are you willing to risk your life against Yona?"

Caim smiles as he looks at the light crystal and says, "A very long time ago, this crystal was used to seal away Raziel and it brought peace to the land. I found a record of it's previous owner and it stirred something inside me. I feel it is my duty, as the bearer of the crystal, to use it's power to help people. If Yona wishes to see this world burn, I will do everything in my power to stop her."

Suddenly Rose realizes that if Eris is dead, there is no way to revive Amelia and Evelyn, and she hangs her head and tries her best to hold back her tears.

Caim notices her pained expression and says, "What's wrong Rose?"

Rose looks at Caim completely broken and whimpers, "My sisters were killed in the third convergence. I've been trying to catch up to Eris so she could bring them back, but now..."

"I see, that's why you were following her, I am sorry Rose, but there is no way to bring someone back to life." Caim says with a sad look on his face.

"But Eris is a goddess right? How can she even die?" Rose says as she spirals into depression.

"As I said, gods are merely humans with great power. They can revive, provided they have enough time to ready a replacement body suitable for their powers. If Eris had a replacement, I doubt she would have let things progress to this stage. We have to assume she is indeed dead and gone." Caim says coldly.

Rose clenches her fists and says, "Damn it, I can't do anything for them. I'm so useless..."

Caim stands and says, "The pain will never leave you Rose, but do not let it consume you. A god's power does not have to be used to destroy, it's your power and only you can decide what to do with it. It's getting late, get some sleep and we will talk more tomorrow."

Caim walks into a room and shuts the door, leaving Rose alone with her thoughts. Her head is spinning with all the new information and she goes outside for some air. The night breeze is cool and refreshing and the moon shines brightly without a single cloud in the sky. Rose walks to the cliffside about twenty feet from the house and sits at the edge. She looks down at the leather armor on her legs, caked with dirt and ripped in several places as her boots dangle over the bottomless abyss below.

Rose lays back and takes a deep breath as she says, "Amelia, Ev? I'm so sorry about everything, but, I can't let Yona get away with this. She has to pay..." Tears fall from Rose's eyes as she continues, "Caim is right, if I have power, then I have to use it to help everyone."

Rose spends a while staring at the stars as she tries to calm her mind. She almost falls asleep and heads back inside where she sees Caim has made up a bed for Rose where the furniture was. She smiles as she lies down and for the first time since she was separated from her sisters, Rose has a good night's sleep. She wakes feeling rested, although the sting of loss is still fresh.

Caim greets her when he exits his room and says, "Good morning, do you need some more time alone, or perhaps you want to talk?"

Rose shakes her head and says, "I need you to show me how to use my powers."

Caim smiles and says, "Your resolve is remarkable, truly. Very well then, but I can only show you two things. After that the rest is up to you."

"What, why only two? What do you mean?" Rose says in confusion.

Caim smiles and says, "Focus and control are all you need to know. Everyone is slightly different, some can use fire magic but not ice, or vice versa. You will find your own power and eventually master it. All I can do is show you the basics."

Rose thinks and then says, "Alright, please show me."

Caim leads Rose outside and says, "We will split your training into four days, and then the rest is up to you."

Caim sits down and Rose joins him as he closes his eyes and says, "Clear your mind and concentrate. Feel the power flowing within you and focus it into your core. Every morning, you will meditate like this until you can call upon your power at will."

Rose closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she hears Caim stand and say, "Remain in this state until I return."

Rose clears her mind and feels a sense of calm as she tries to figure out how to gather energy. She hears Caim return to his home and spends the rest of the day meditating by the cliffside.

Caim returns after dark and Rose says, "I think I'm starting to feel something."

Caim smiles and says, "Very good, that's enough for today, come inside and have a bite to eat."

The night passes quickly, and in the morning Caim finds Rose already meditating outside.

He smiles and walks to the edge of the cliff and says, "How are you feeling?"

Rose opens her eyes and says, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."

"Then perhaps it's time for your next lesson, come with me." Caim says as he leads Rose behind the house.

He raises his cane and then slams it into the ground in front of the cliff wall, causing a huge chunk of rock to fall to the ground.

Caim turns back to Rose and says, "Once you've gathered sufficient energy, you must learn to focus it."

Caim takes his arms out of his robe and lets it hang from his waist and Rose is surprised at how muscular he is for an old man.

"Gather energy into your fist and then..." Caim says.

Caim quickly turns around and punches the boulder, causing it to shatter into thousands of tiny shards.

Caim turns back to Rose and says, "Do not release your energy, just focus it into your hands. If the energy is dense enough, you will avoid harm."

Rose looks in amazement as Caim says, "Once you can destroy the boulder without breaking your hand, we will move on."

Rose looks at her hands and then says, "Alright then, here I go."

Rose gathers energy in her fist as Caim drops another boulder for her to practice on. Caim turns away and begins waling back to his house when he feels a surge of energy and looks back to Rose as white energy swirls around her fist. She yells and hits the boulder as hard as she can, creating a crack that splits the rock into pieces.

'Incredible, this girl's power is ferocious indeed. I only hope she will walk an honorable path in life, Gods know we can't deal with another Yona.' Caim thinks to himself as he watches Rose marvel at her own strength.

"Should I try it again?" Rose asks.

Caim shakes his head and says, "No, after meditating in the morning, strike five boulders, but for now, we'll move on."

Caim leads Rose back to the cliffside and says, "Focusing your power will allow you to defend yourself, while controlling it will let you attack. The first lesson is release."

Caim raises his hand over the edge of the cliff and says, "Gather your energy and focus it into your hand like before, but this time release it when you strike."

Frost falls from Caim's fingers as it forms a neat sphere in his palm and then it shoots out into the sky and explodes, creating a plume of frost that quickly dissipates.

"This is much harder than simply storing energy and requires your full attention." Caim says.

Rose walks to the edge and raises her hand. She tries, but is unable to release her energy as it gathers in her palm.

The white energy swirls around chaotically and Caim says, "Stay calm and keep practicing, it will get easier with time."

Rose nods as she continues her training and Caim returns to his home. Another day passes and the next morning, Rose is out training again before dawn. Caim is woken up by the sound of boulders being smashed and he heads outside to monitor Rose's progress. Rose walks to the cliff and raises her hand once again as energy begins to swirl around her fingers. She compresses it into a neat sphere like Caim did and then she lets it fly out into the air.

It explodes with violent force and causes Rose to stumble back as Caim says, "Tricky, isn't it?" Rose nods and Caim says, "There is one final lesson, watch closely."

Caim clenches his fists and Rose sees energy gathering around Caim until his entire body seems to be enveloped in it.

"This is the most difficult part, expending your energy to increase your physical ability." Caim says before he disappears.

Rose blinks for a moment and then looks around in confusion. Even with her senses heightened, Rose couldn't track his movements at all. Rose hears Caim laugh and turns around to see him standing on the roof of his house.

"This will combine all the training you have received into a single exercise, but be warned, this technique will drain your energy very quickly. First gather your energy, then focus it. When it peaks, release it into your body and then expend it as you attack." Caim says as he hops down and lands next to Rose.

She smiles and says, "Ok let me try."

Rose imitates Caim's posture and gathers her energy. She focuses is and then releases it into her body, but she can't figure out how to use it. After a few minutes, her energy suddenly drops and she bends over, resting her hands on her knees as she breathes heavily.

"I, can't do it." Rose says as she sits down.

Caim says, "You've practically raced through the other steps, but this is different. Once you can expend your energy, that is only the beginning. You will need to learn your unique powers and how to best utilize them. That is something I cannot teach."

Rose lays back and stretches out as she says, "I didn't realize using energy makes you tired like this."

Caim nods and says, "It places a great deal of stress on your mind. Perceiving and reacting faster than normal takes it's toll, and if you run out of energy if a battle, you wouldn't even have the strength to escape. Knowing your own limits is critical."

Rose understands his warning and thinks for a moment before saying, "Caim, can I ask you something?"

He looks over and their eyes meet as he says, "Yes, what is it?"

"How long have you been watching me?" Rose asks.

Caim sighs and says, "I tracked Yona to the remains of a city in the forests surrounding Alissi. I was too late however, and saw Yona had obtained the dark crystal. I feared she had corrupted the three of you and I followed her until she disappeared into her realm."

Rose clenches her fist and says, "So you watched me activate the monolith and kill my sisters? Why... Why didn't you stop me? With your power, you could have..." Rose stops herself and takes a deep breath.

Caim sighs and says, "Before Alissi, the previous convergence happened well before I was born. I have only recently begun to track Yona and I had no idea what she was planning. I am sorry Rose, you are correct, I should have stopped you before any of this happened but I didn't know."

Rose sighs and says, "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. You've done nothing but help me and I'm grateful."

Caim smiles and says, "Come, a meal should help you feel better."

He leads Rose inside and they eat before continuing to train. As the sun begins to set, Rose and Caim race around the cliffside at blinding speeds until Rose slows down and her power fades away.

"Are you at your limit?" Caim asks.

Rose says, "Almost, I've been trying to stop right before so I'm not completely drained."

"A sound strategy. This is all I can show you Rose, everything else depends on your choices from now on." Caim says as they walk back to the house.

Rose nods and says, "Thank you for everything Caim."

As she lays in her bed, Rose closes her eyes and thinks to herself, "I'm really doing it, but is it enough?"

She imagines what kind of terrible power Yona must possess and then begins to wonder what she actually looks like. Her thoughts drift off as she falls asleep and in the morning, Caim and Rose eat a small meal before heading outside.

"Let's check in on your friends shall we?" Caim says.

His cane shines and projects and image of a Ryder warship sailing through the ocean behind a small fleet. The image is a little blurry, but Rose recognizes Rokk's huge frame even from this distance. He is standing next to someone much smaller, most likely Kathryn, as an island slowly covers the horizon.

"Perfect." Caim says as the image dissolves and he places his hand on Rose's shoulder and says, "Ready?"

Rose nods and in the blink of an eye, they are standing on the deck of the ship as Kathryn and Rokk stare in disbelief.

"You're the one that..." Kathryn begins.

Rose steps forward and says, "This is Caim, he's been helping me and he wants to stop Yona from triggering the final convergence."

"Yona? What the hell are you talking about, did he do something to you?" Kathryn asks eyeing Caim.

As the ship cuts through the turbulent waters, Rose explains the situation to Kathryn and the others.

"Eris was dead all along and this Yona is trying to spread... corruption?" Kathryn says as she sighs and continues, "This makes even less sense than before, but it doesn't matter. The Ryders are going to that island for some reason so we're going to hunt them down. Sofita and Rokk can join you while we deal with the rest of them."

Rose nods and watches as the island draws near and she tenses up as the boat hits the shoreline and comes to a stop.

Chapter 9 - Apocalypse

A long wooden board is pushed off the deck and creates a ramp onto the beach and as everyone disembarks, Kathryn says, "Good luck Rose, we'll be right behind you as soon as we take care of the Ryders."

Rose nods and says, "Alright be careful."

Kathryn smiles as she leads the Gracians inland, leaving Caim, Rokk, Sofita, and Rose next to the ship.

"I don't see the monolith anywhere." Sofita says as she looks around.

"This one is a bit different than the others, follow me." Caim responds.

Caim leads the way to a path through the trees and it continues up and around a small mountain. As they reach the peak, they see a large valley on the other side, but there is a massive black structure that spans it's length. The building is hundreds of feet long and rectangular towers jut out in seemingly random places, although they are much smaller than a monolith. From afar it almost resembles a city, the pitch black color makes it hard to see clearly, but it is actually one large building.

"What is that?" Rose asks as she stares in amazement.

Caim looks toward the imposing structure and says, "I believe this is the focal point for the convergence, the other monoliths only contained a fraction of it's power."

"So this thing will destroy even more than the others did?" Sofita asks fearfully.

Caim sighs and says, "I can't say for certain, but we must hurry. If Yona is able to activate this, I fear the entire world may be at risk."

Without a word, Rokk leaps forward and begins sliding down the slope towards the structure, dragging his huge axes behind him as the rest of the group follows. They reach the entrance, a tall opening leading to a hallway, and once inside they follow the corridor until it ends in a staircase leading underground. As they descend the stairs, the sound of clashing swords grows louder and finally they emerge in a massive room deep beneath the earth.

The inside looks the same as the exterior with the walls, floor, and ceiling being pure black and featureless, just like the monoliths. Floating in the air and illuminating the room is a huge, swirling sphere of pink energy. Bathed in the hazy pink light, Rose sees the woman in black armor fighting someone she doesn't recognize. They rush toward the battle and as they approach, a cloud of smoke appears before them.

Glowing red eyes glare at Rose and her companions as Raziel's body forms from the smoke and he says, "You were foolish to come here humans."

Caim quickly raises his cane and a bright white light shines from the light crystal as Raziel leaps back and says, "Not this time, I've regained my strength!"
Raziel raises his arms and the light becomes much dimmer as he yells, "The darkness will consume you all!"

The light slowly fades away as Sofita shoots lightning at Raziel, but a wall of black sludge rises from the ground and creates a dome above him, shielding him at the last moment.

Caim turns to Rose and says, "You must not let Yona or that woman activate this monolith."

Rose nods and says, "I won't."

She takes off as the others prepare to fight Raziel and Caim says, "Wait until the light crystal makes him vulnerable, then attack."

Not far away, Helvete clashes swords with a man as Rose approaches and looks around. The room is massive but behind Helvete there is a pillar sticking a few feet out of the ground and the top of it faintly glows. Rose assumes this must be how the monolith is activated and she tries to avoid the battle, but the man notices her and swings his sword towards her. An arc of fire leaves his blade and streaks across the room as Rose rolls out of the way and he says,

"Another pest?" He laughs and then says, "All will be crushed under the mighty Ryder empire!"

Helvete charges in and they once again lock blades, looking evenly matched. Rose waits until they are distracted and then sprints for the pillar. She turns her back to it and faces the two warriors as she draws her sword, hoping they will wear each other out. The way they fight is fearsome and almost bestial, as if they are only relying on raw instinct and power. When their blades meet, sparks fly and it echoes through the large, empty room.

Rose watches the two fight and stands her ground, not willing to let anyone past her. Helvete's sword crashes against the man's dark red armor and tears it as she drags it through his flesh. He stands up and removes his helmet, revealing himself to be King Erimon Sigurd, as he drops the heavy helmet to the floor. Rose gasps as she sees he too is corrupted, as the black slime drips from his eyes and mouth as well as his wound.

King Erimon smiles and says, "I will conquer this world, now die!"

He slashes Helvete and she flies into the wall, becoming embedded in the rubble. She breaks free and a surge of purple energy comes from Helvete as she launches herself towards Erimon.

They clash and King Erimon says, "Why do you defy me?"

He kicks Helvete in the stomach and as she stumbles back, his sword crashes against her helmet. The horned helmet flies across the room and black blood drips from her head as Helvete holds a hand to her face. Erimon's sword crashes into the ground and sends a wave of fire toward Helvete and the force knocks her off her feet. She slides across the smooth floor and comes to a stop a few feet from Rose as she gasps in horror.

"No, it can't... Amelia, is that you?" Rose says in shock.

She has the same short messy blonde hair and is about the right size, but her eyes are covered with that black slime and her mouth looks like it is sewn shut.

"Oh gods, what did they do to you..." Rose says as she reaches out to her sister.

Amelia's eyes suddenly open, cracking open the charred slime and they snap to Rose as she grabs her wrist and pulls her down. Amelia quickly rises and kicks Rose across the face, sending her crashing into the wall as Erimon leaps in and continues attacking Amelia. Rose slowly gets up and looks at the pillar as she takes a deep breath and makes her way back to it.

As Caim and the others attack, Raziel backs away and stays just out of range while his tendrils lash out at them.

"Enough of this." Raziel says as a large wall of black slime separates him from Caim and the others.

He places his hands on the ground and more black slime begins seeping up through the floor.

The slime takes on several shapes that resemble monsters and Raziel says, "Deal with them."

The beasts drip with the black sludge and rush in to attack, although the monsters don't evade when attacked, instead they charge straight in and reform as quickly as Raziel can. No matter what they try, the beasts simply reform and even the light crystal isn't enough to repel them.

"The dark crystal is absorbing the light from your crystal, it's useless. Give up now and I'll take your lives before you even know it." Raziel laughs.

Sofita calls down a huge bolt of lightning on top of Raziel, but he simply turns to smoke and it doesn't affect him.

"It's no good, I can't hit him." Sofita says as a monster lunges for her. She electrocutes the beast until it begins to sizzle and then she says, "What are we gonna do?"

Rokk raises his axes and blocks two of the monsters as Caim blasts another with a beam of light.

"You die." Raziel says as Rokk turns to see the smoky figure solidify right behind Sofita.

She never sees it coming and there is a moment of silence before Sofita's head hits the floor. Her body falls to it's knees and slumps over as blood sprays onto the floor and Rokk's eyes widen as he is swarmed by the monsters. He lets out a guttural roar that echoes throughout the structure as the monsters pile on top of him, tearing at his flesh and he swings his twin axes with reckless abandon.

The beasts are splattered across the room in large groups, but Raziel creates more and soon Rokk falls to his knees, although he continues to fight until he notices Raziel creating even more monsters. His gigantic frame is completely covered with monsters digging into his flesh with their claws and fangs as he slowly crawls toward Raziel, dragging the beasts along with him and leaving a huge trail of blood in his wake.

Raziel raises his hand and a wall of thick sludge rises between them, but Rokk roars and his axe crashes down through the wall, splitting it in two. Raziel leaps back but Rokk's massive hand shoots out of the mass of monsters and grabs him. Raziel is caught off guard for a moment but his body turns to smoke and appears a few feet back as Rokk drags himself toward Raziel.

The corrupted spirit scoffs and says, "How are you still alive? Just die human!"

As he fends off the slime monsters, Caim watches helplessly as Rokk finally collapses and a pool of blood forms around him as the monsters continue to feast on his corpse.

Rose sees the deaths of her friends but before she can help, she hears a woman's voice say, "Thanos, you've served me well, but it's time to die little girl."

Rose turns around and sees a woman with bright white hair with her hand on the pillar. Her blue eyes and pale skin look the opposite of Eris but Rose feels her tremendous power and knows this must be Yona. Rose tries to slash Yona as she smiles with her hand on the pillar, but before Rose's sword connects, a deafening noise reverberates throughout the structure.

The heavy vibrations and deep tone seem to put pressure on her chest and Rose falls to her knees as she struggles to breathe. Suddenly, a massive tremor rocks the building and the room begins to collapse as energy gathers in the center of the room and then shoots upward, breaking through the ceiling.

The noise finally stops and Rose gets to her feet as Caim yells, "We must retreat!"

She looks back to Amelia who blankly watches Yona kill King Erimon with one quick strike. He falls to the ground and black sludge bursts from his wounds as Yona kneels down and digs around in his chest. She pulls a crystal from his wound and as the blood drips off, fire can be seen swirling inside of it like an inferno.

"Rose!" Caim yells and Rose turns away as she sprints toward him and they make their way to the surface.

They race up the stairs and through the corridor as it collapses behind them and they see the true scale of destruction. The small mountain they climbed to get here has been sheared in half and it slowly floats into the air as trees are uprooted and the waves crashing against the shore splash up and are caught in the phenomenon. The giant pillar of light reaches high into the sky and gradually gets wider as the floating debris slowly swirls around it.

Huge broken pieces of earth rise into the sky, but there are no spheres of light this time, as they crumble into jagged chunks and join the rest of the debris accumulating around the pillar of light. A piece of the structure breaks off and as it floats upwards, Raziel flies up through the structure and exits near the light before spotting Rose and Caim. Raziel charges towards them and Rose focuses her energy and clashes swords with Raziel as Caim fires a beam of light through his chest.

Raziel backs away and the hole created by the beam closes as he says, "I've toyed with you long enough, we still have work to do so now you can join your friends." Raziel growls and his tendrils appear and then they split apart until there are too many to count.

"Focus and defend Rose!" Caim yells as the tendrils shoot out toward them.

Rose focuses her power like she did when breaking the boulders, only she covers her entire body and the tendrils crash into her barrier but can't penetrate it. She looks back to Caim and he smiles before Raziel turns to smoke and appears behind him. The thick black smoke enters Caim's ears, nose, and mouth as he tries to expel the substance, but to no avail. His power was already weakened from fighting and Raziel is wreaking havoc inside his body. Blood flows from every opening as Caim shakily raises his cane and extracts the light crystal.

He looks to Rose and he chokes as he tries to say, "Rose, I will destroy... this monster. You must... stop Yona, I believe in you..."

Caim falls to his knees, vomiting a large amount of blood and breathing heavily as he clutches the light crystal in his fist. He raises the light crystal to his chest as cuts form all over his body and the blood begins to float into the air. He slams the sphere into his chest and the crystal buries itself inside him. Caim is barely able to contain Raziel as he convulses just before his body is torn apart and explodes in a brilliant flash of light.

Rose is thrown back by the blast and is blinded for a moment as she gets to her feet and sees no trace of Caim or Raziel. She hurries back to the blast site and sees both the dark and light crystals lying next to each other on the ground as tears well up in her eyes.

"Damn it, not again. I can't do this on my own..." Rose stares into the crystals as tears fall onto them and she suddenly senses Yona again. She looks back to the structure and sees Amelia and Yona near the crumbling building and she races towards them as she draws her sword. Yona raises her hand to create a portal, but Rose suddenly appears in front of her and slashes down hard.

Her blade is met by Amelia's and Yona laughs as she says, "It's over, there is nothing more you can do, behold this world's doom child."

Yona points to the sky and the very tip of the pillar of light begins to grow. The light is well outside the atmosphere, but it's size grows at an alarming pace until it encompasses the entire sky. The light begins to fade and Rose's eyes widen as she realizes it is another world.

"What have you done?" Rose asks in shock.

Yona smiles and says, "You couldn't comprehend it and there's no time left anyway. This world will be destroyed for rejecting me."

Yona laughs and when Rose attacks, Amelia once again blocks her strike.

"Amelia stop, why are you helping her?" Rose pleads but Amelia stares at her sister with a blank expression.

"She can't hear you. When I found her she was almost dead." Yona smiles as she continues, "I thought she would make an acceptable replacement, but it seems she wasn't needed after all. You did enough on your own to make up for her faults, but now both of you have outlived your usefulness. Helvete, kill this girl and then end your life, I have no use for you anymore."

Yona laughs as she opens a portal and retreats to her dimension with the fire and ice crystals, leaving Amelia and Rose in the center of the convergence. Rose tries to plead with her sister, but Amelia strikes without mercy, forcing Rose to take the defensive. She clutches her sword and uses her training to find an opening, but she stops just before it connects and Amelia kicks her in the stomach causing her to tumble across the ground. Rose catches her breath and slams her fist into the ground.

"I won't do it..." Rose says as she looks up at Amelia with tears in her eyes and says, "After everyone that I've lost, I won't hurt my sister."

Her eyes begin to glow and she throws her sword to the ground as she reaches for the crystals in the pouch on her hip. Taking one in each hand, they glow and pulse with power as Amelia charges in and the light crystal reacts. Black sludge pours to the ground from Amelia's eyes and mouth as the stitches rip and she tries to continue fighting. Rose raises the dark crystal and it turns Amelia's sword into more of the slime, disarming her.

She tries to back away as Rose gets close and Amelia screams in pain as the black sludge is forced from her body and pools on the ground. Rose reaches out with tears in her eyes as she touches the light crystal to Amelia's forehead and her eyes regain their shine as she coughs up more of the slime. The dark crystal begins to absorb the sludge and Rose uses it to eradicate the disgusting substance.

Rose's eyes return to normal and she falls to her knees and says, "Amelia, are you alright?"

Amelia is breathing heavily and looks over at Rose.

Recognition sets in and Amelia quickly crawls over to her sister and embraces her while she says, "I thought you were dead, I'm so sorry, Evelyn... I couldn't save her..."

Rose shakes her head and says, "Just relax you're wounded, let me heal you."

Rose places her hands on Amelia's shoulders and her eyes begin to glow as Amelia says, "What's going on?"

She looks down and realizes her wounds are closing up and she no longer feels pain.

Rose finishes and then takes a breath before saying, "I think I'm beginning to understand my powers."

Amelia is confused and says, "What the hell is going on with you Rose?"

Rose breifly explains what has happened and how Yona was controlling her.

"What? I don't remember anything after Evelyn was killed, this is crazy." Amelia says.

Rose nods and says, "I know, but Yona has already activated the last monolith. I have to do something or everyone will die."

Amelia pats Rose on the back and says, "Not without me."

Rose smiles and they get up as the chaos around them intensifies even further. The ocean around the island begins to rise into the air and another massive tremor shakes the island as a third of it is lifted high in the sky along with soldiers and monsters.

"How are we going to find her, didn't she retreat to wait this out?" Amelia asks.

Rose replies, "I don't really understand how, but I feel like I know about the monoliths. I think I can bring her back."

Amelia nods and says, "Alright then, I got your back, let's go."

Rose and Amelia enter the crumbling building once again through a hole in the side of the structure and quickly make their way past the debris to the underground room.

As they stand in front of the pillar Amelia says, "What are you going to do?"

Rose touches the pillar and releases her energy into it. The pillar rises and splits open in the center to reveal a square about the size of her hand.

Rose touches the pillar again and her eyes glow as she says, "Yes this will work, I can still feel her energy."

Rose looks to Amelia and says, "I'm going to try to connect her realm with this world. Then she won't be safe from the convergence anymore and she'll have to come out to break the connection."

Amelia stands in awe as her sister's glowing eyes seemingly sift through information and Rose says, "Amelia, please don't try to fight Yona. I don't know if I can win, but if I have to watch out for you too, I don't think we'll last very long."

Amelia feels helpless but says, "Yeah, I understand."

She looks at her younger sister and smiles as she says, "You've grown up so much in such a short time, make sure you be careful, alright? And one more thing, kick her ass good for using me like that, you hear?"

Rose smiles as Amelia backs away and a vortex of dark energy appears above the structure.

"She's coming." Rose says as she looks up toward the crumbling ceiling. She looks to Amelia and walks over to her before embracing her sister and saying, "I'm so glad you're alright, I've been so lonely and everyone else is dead..."

Rose feels sadness for the dead, but the joy of being reunited with her sister overcomes it and she says, "It's my turn to protect you, so just stand back and watch how much I've learned."

Amelia grits her teeth as a tear rolls down her cheek and she says, "Yeah, Evelyn and I will be watching, so you better put on a good show."

Rose stands and looks toward the ceiling again before she disappears before Amelia's eyes.

She slams her fist into the floor and says, "How the hell am I supposed to leave you..."

Amelia stops as she realizes this is the same situation she put her sisters in when this all started.

She laughs to herself as she stands and says, "Well, I guess I'll play the part of Rose and ignore her and help anyway."

Amelia hurries through the building and back up the stairs. The corridor is blocked and Amelia draws her sword and slashes a cracked wall before hopping through. She breaks a few weakened walls and emerges outside as more of the structure is pulled into the air and the force becomes even stronger. Now that she is outside, Amelia feels very warm and sees the oncoming planet growing red near the center.

The heat continues to grow as she hears clashing swords and occasionally catches a glimpse of Rose and Yona before they disappear again. Rose charges in and Yona gracefully dodges as she raises her blade of pink energy above her head. Rose barely has time to block, but Yona is incredibly strong and the ground under Rose cracks as she sinks deeper under the pressure.

Yona makes it look effortless as she forces Rose to her knees and she says, "That's good, now beg for your life."

Yona laughs as she slowly forces Rose's blade down and her pink blade of energy touches Rose's shoulder, burning through the leather and charring the flesh. Yona relents and Rose lets down her guard, exhausted from the struggle as Yona's thin leg strikes her across the face and sends her flying upwards. She loses her grip on her sword as she tumbles helplessly through the air until Yona appears behind her and blasts her with magic. A massive beam of dark pink energy shoots down and Rose is sent crashing into the structure at blinding speed. Rose slowly gets to her feet and breathes heavily as blood runs down her face.

"Perhaps I should have used your younger sister instead, she would have put up less of a fight." Yona says mockingly.

"Shut the hell up." Rose says shakily as she grips the light crystal in her fist.

Yona scowls and disappears before slashing Rose's back causing her to stumble forward. Blood leaks onto the floor and Rose quickly turns and swings at Yona but she vanishes again. A pale hand grabs Rose's throat and lifts her off her feet. Yona's eyes glow and slime bubbles up into her mouth as she brings Rose closer and presses her lips against Rose's. Rose slams her fist into Yona's chest and the light crystal reacts to the massive amount of corruption as it shines brightly and grows into a sphere.

The light explodes and Rose stumbles back as she checks herself and notices she is completely unharmed. She looks at Yona who coughs up blood and rips the remains of her shredded arm off and tosses it to the floor. Her chest has a gaping wound as well but the corruption seems to be holding her together as with Eran and Gohr. Yona's power surges around her and pink energy begins to form her missing arm as the wound in her chest begins to close.
"Did you think something like that could kill me?" Yona says furiously as she strikes Rose with such force, she crashes through the structure and up into the air outside.

Amelia has been concentrating and her eyes can just barely keep up with Rose and Yona as they battle and the heat becomes unbearable. The planets rapidly approach the point of no return as Rose crashes into the ground and coughs up blood. She rolls over and tries to get up but Yona kicks her in the ribs and she tumbles across the ground. Amelia can't stand to watch this, but she knows she would only get in the way and she sighs as she clenches her fists.

Rose grips the light crystal and gets to her feet as Yona approaches and the crystal pulses with power before a blade of light forms around the crystal. Yona is unimpressed and lashes out as Rose can barely keep up. Each powerful strike pushes Rosse back and sends a shockwave through her body. Yona raises her sword and Rose moves on pure instinct and slashes her stomach causing her to step back.

Yona looks to the exhausted Rose and then at Amelia standing far away before she says, "Maybe I should kill her first to watch you suffer."

A wicked smile appears on her face as Yona races towards Amelia and Rose loses control of herself. Her power explodes around her and she quickly catches up to Yona. She grabs her by the back of her head and slams her into the ground at high speed, tearing up the earth as she is dragged along. As their momentum slows, Rose quickly turns and throws Yona high into the air away from Amelia.

Yona opens her eyes and sees that Rose is already in front of her and she has no time to react as Rose grabs her by her long, bright white hair and violently spins around before throwing her into the ground again. The earth cracks from the impact, sending jagged pieces of earth into the air as Rose charges toward Yona gripping her sword of light as her eyes brightly shine.

Yona rises to her feet and summons her blade of pink energy as she says, "This world will be destroyed, but you will not live to see it!"

Rose reaches Yona and there is a clash of energy before it explodes and as the dust swirls into the air, Amelia sees Yona has impaled Rose.

"Silly girl, you can't hope to defy a god..." Yona stops suddenly as Rose grasps her throat and she feels a blade slowly entering her chest.

Rose sinks her sword of light deeper and coughs up blood as Yona backs away and they both let go of their blades. The swords of energy dissipate and blood sprays into the air as they both collapse and Amelia rushes to her sister's side.

Amelia rushes to her sister's side and says, "Rose! Rose don't die on me damn it, just wait for..."

Amelia clutches her sister and Rose looks up and weakly says, "Amelia... I did it..."

Amelia nods and cries as she says, "Yeah you did good, really good. Now stop talking so much, you're bleeding a lot."

Rose coughs again and says, "That's good, I'm so... relieved. Now we can go... home."

Rose's eyes stop glowing and she takes a final pained breath before she stops moving and Amelia screams into the sky as lightning begins to strike the island.

Chapter 10 - Rebirth

Amelia clutches her sister's bloody body and screams, tears streaming down her face as she notices the light and dark crystals lying next to Rose. She looks over and the fire and ice crystals shine brightly as they rest against Yona's corpse.

Fearing she isn't quite dead yet, Amelia gathers the crystals and holds them in her hands and she cries and looks back to Rose and says, "Please come back Rose, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."

For a moment, Amelia feels rage towards Yona for putting them in this situation, but it doesn't matter anymore. The world is going to be destroyed and everyone will die. Amelia screams with tears in her eyes as her powers explode around her and her eyes begin to glow. She feels a warmth within her core and it spreads throughout her body as the crystals pulse in her hands. To her amazement, the four crystals shine brightly and begin to fuse as they condense into a single mass.

Amelia watches as the light fades and reveals a slightly bigger crystal and inside it, a shining green orb swirls around. Knowledge of the crystal comes to Amelia from seemingly nowhere and she suddenly understands what must be done. Amelia kisses Rose's forehead and lays her down gently on the ground while the heat intensifies and fires break out randomly across the island as the oncoming planet draws closer.

Over the chaos, Amelia can hear people approaching and turns to see, the Gracian army alongside the Alissians. They charge down the sheared mountainside led by Kathryn and Gisele. Amelia smiles and raises the green crystal as Gisele and Kathryn get closer.

Kathryn sees the woman in black armor and says, "That's the one! She was helping Yona and... Oh gods, Rose!"

Gisele and Kathryn see Rose lying motionless in a pool of blood next to the woman in black armor and without hesitation, they both charge in and impale Amelia through her gut. She is lifted off the ground slightly as blood drips from her mouth and Gisele gets a good look at her face and stumbles backwards.

"Amelia, but... Oh Gods, what have I done?" Gisele says in shock.

Gisele lets go of her sword and Amelia places the crystal in her hands and says, "There's no time..." Amelia coughs up blood and winces in pain before continuing, "The soul crystal... can save us all... Please, don't let Rose... die like this..."

She falls to her knees as Kathryn withdraws her blade and says, "What the hell is going on? You know her?"

Amelia reaches for Rose while she says, "The crystal takes... the life of the user in... exchange for granting their deepest desire. I don't... have the strength... you have to..."

Amelia takes a final breath and her hand falls to the floor as Gisele stares into the hazy green orb and Kathryn looks to the sky towards the oncoming planet.

"You believe what she said?" Kathryn asks.

Gisele nods and says, "Yes, I've never seen Amelia so concerned, this must have the power to stop the convergence. It is my duty as Queen of Alissi to end this bloodshed once and for all."

Kathryn places her hand over Gisele's with the crystal between them and says, "Yeah, like I'd let you sacrifice yourself. If this is how it has to be then we'll both use it."

Gisele looks to Kathryn as she smiles and says, "So Queen of Alissi, any idea how to activate it?"

Gisele closes her eyes and says, "We hope, from the bottom of our hearts. Amelia said it will grant a single wish so we must be of one mind."

Kathryn nods and closes her eyes as they concentrate and the crystal begins to shine and pulse between their hands. A pulse of green energy shoots from the orb and across the island as strange pale green lights emerge from Gisele's and Kathryn's chests. Kathryn looks back and all the Gracians and Alissians have the same light coming from their chests as the crystal floats into the air and pulses again only much more intense.

The pulse reaches far past the ocean and over the horizon, a swarm of pale green lights race toward the island. The lights from Kathryn and Gisele shoot up toward the oncoming planet as they combine with the others and form a thin layer of energy. While their attention is focused above them, Kathryn and Gisele fail to notice movement on the ground near them. The oncoming planet breaks the atmosphere as it inches closer to the pale green light covering the sky.

As it touches the barrier, Kathryn notices it isn't passing through and Gisele says, "It's a portal!"

The barrier begins to crack under the strain and as Kathryn and Gisele watch, not knowing if it will hold, Rose rises to her feet. To their amazement, Rose's hair is bright white now and she raises her hands and releases her divine energy into the barrier. As it impacts, the energy strengthens the barrier and it shines brilliantly as the planet sinks deeper inside it.

As the last of the oncoming planet is swallowed by the barrier, the temperature begins to return to normal and the swirling debris falls back to the ground. The soul crystal floats high into the air and shines brightly before breaking into four pieces and they fly off in different directions at blinding speeds.

"Rose, you're..." Gisele cuts herself short as Yona gets to her feet and brushes her hair out of her face.

Kathryn draws her sword and Gisele picks hers up as Rose steps forward and says, "It's all right now. There's no need to fight."

They don't understand her words, but Rose's calming presence makes them lose the will to fight and they drop their weapons.

"The corruption has left Yona, she is no longer a threat." Rose says calmly as Yona walks over and falls to her knees.

"I have no right to ask this of you, but please forgive me. I was not in control of my actions. If you so desire, take my head in retribution..." Yona says.

Rose pulls Yona to her feet and says, 'There has been enough death today, I don't wish to see any more. If you are truly remorseful, then live and help these people survive."

Yona looks into Rose's glowing eyes and smiles as she says, "You remind me of Eris, so kind and caring."

Gisele looks around and says, "Rose, what about Evelyn..."

Yona sighs and says, "Even the soul crystal has it's limits. A soul without a body can only last so long before it disappears. I'm afraid that as with Eris, Evelyn has been deceased for too long. There is no way to reunite her body with her soul."

Amelia coughs as she rolls over and Rose kneels beside her sister and cradles her head.

"After what I just saw, I think anything is possible." Amelia says with a smile before she coughs up blood.

"What? Why is she still injured?" Gisele asks watching the blood slowly spill from Amelia's wound.

Yona crouches next to her and places her hands on Amelia's wound while saying, "As I said, the crystals have limitations, the fact that catastrophe was avoided is nothing short of a miracle."

Her eyes glow brightly and pink energy swirls around Amelia as her pained expression turns to relief. Suddenly, her body bursts into golden spheres of light and they soar into the sky.

"What the hell did you just do!?" Kathryn exclaims.

Yona looks to her and replies, "I gave her a portion of my powers and created a replacement body for her. With such little time, I'm not sure how well it will work, but Amelia is not dead."

Rose helps Yona to her feet and she says, "I owe Amelia and you a great debt Rose."

"It's alright..." Rose begins.

Yona cuts her off and says, "You don't understand, the corruption is... alive. It has a will of it's own and I felt as if someone or something was directing it."

"It's alive?" Gisele asks in confusion.

"Yes, in ancient times, there were many gods, but they quarreled and our numbers decreased dramatically. Eventually we agreed to use our powers to help people and that's when we noticed it. Some of the gods refused and waged war against the others. After they were killed we saw the corruption and how it could evolve. We knew if it could infect a god then eventually it would grow powerful enough to consume the world, but since we were also vulnerable to it, we decided to create the monoliths as a last resort. Originally, they were meant to take inhabitants of this world to another, one free from corruption, but then I was taken over by it. The monoliths reject all forms of corruption so it could never infect other worlds, but it used my divine power to change them and it ended up bringing creatures to this world, which only gave the corruption more to feed upon." Yona explains.

Kathryn raises an eyebrow and says, "Where are the other gods then? And how come we've never heard of this corruption before now?"

"The last of the old gods died out battling the corruption, it was only Eris, Ylisse, and I that were left. We decided to deal with the corruption on our own, not wanting you humans to live in constant fear." Yona replies.

"Who is Ylisse?" Rose asks.

Yona smiles and says, "She is the one you can thank for your powers. Ylisse sacrificed all of her divine energy and spread it throughout the world. She was mostly human afterwards, but it ensured that a new generation of gods would be born. If we've learned anything, it's that the corruption cannot be contained by any single entity. It needs to be monitored and kept in check constantly or it will wreak havoc once again."

Rose nods and thinks for a long moment before lifting her arms into the air.

"What are you doing?" Gisele asks.

Rose responds, "Giving back to everyone who helped me get this far."

Brilliant white energy spirals high into the air and the shoots across the globe as Rose falls to her knees and her eyes stop glowing.

Her hair returns to its natural blonde color and she says, "There, now hopefully people will have some kind of defense against the corruption."

Yona smiles and says, "That was very noble of you, but your power will not return if you divide it this much, and there's no guarantee how this will affect people."

Rose smiles and says, "I was born a human and I think I'd like to live and die as one. I never really wanted to become a goddess, I just wanted to be with my sisters again."

Yona smiles and says, "Then I will find Amelia, I'm sure she wishes for the same thing."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Gisele asks.

Yona nods and replies, "Yes, but I will continue to watch over you all. I cannot express my gratitude for not only saving me, but the world as well."

Yona turns to Rose and says, "Thanos, mi'kavaa."

Rose looks puzzled and says, "You've said that once before, thanos, what does that mean?"

Yona smiles and says, "It means, thank you my friend. It's an ancient language, but I've always thought it sounded beautiful."

Rose smiles and says, "It really does, thank you Yona. I hope I can see you again one day."

Yona floats into the air as she smiles and says, "I'm sure we will."

She disappears and Gisele helps Rose to her feet as she says, "It's all over now."

Kathryn pats her on the back and says, "This is just the beginning, if you've forgotten, you don't have a city to return to either."

Gisele looks down and says, "Yes, I'm aware of that."

Kathryn laughs and says, "Don't look so down, we're alive and kicking. We just have to rebuild and there's plenty of time for that."

Gisele smiles and says, "I suppose you're right, a Queen must lead her people through trying times toward a better future."

Kathryn laughs and says, "That's more like it."

The women turn around as they hear something coming from the soldiers. They yell and curse as the remnants of the Ryder army emerge from the surrounding area and begin to throw down their weapons. Unlike before, they seem frightened and confused and their blood has returned to a normal color as they limp and clutch their wounds.

Kathryn and Gisele walk over and a man says, "You, you're Queen Kathryn of Gracia, what is happening?"

"You guys don't remember anything?" Kathryn asks, inspecting the man.

He kneels and says, "I... can't recall, everything is a blur."

Kathryn looks to Gisele and says, "What do you think, you believe they were all being controlled too?"

Gisele walks over to the man and says, "King Erimon is dead and the three kingdoms lie in ruins. Now that the war has finally ended, what are your intentions?"

The man thinks before saying, "I don't want to fight anymore, do with me what you will."

He hangs his head and Gisele says, "I see, then rise."

The man looks up at her and gets to his feet as Gisele says, "The Ryders have committed atrocities that can never be forgotten, but you still have a chance to redeem yourselves." The man's eyes widen as she continues, "Gracia and Alissi were destroyed in the convergence, meaning none of our people have a home now. If you truly wish for peace as we do, then help us build a better future, together."

Gisele extends her hand to the man and he takes it before saying, "We will, thank you for trusting us."

Kathryn punches the man and says, "It's not trust you idiot." Kathryn points to Rose and says, "That girl just saved all our asses and she doesn't want to see any more bloodshed, so you better thank her before you scurry out of here."

The man bows before Rose and says, "Thank you and I swear, the Ryders will not take another life."

"I think I may have a solution for our mutual problem." Gisele says putting her hand to her chin before continuing, "Alissi and Gracia were very far apart which made trade difficult, but if the Ryders set up a city between them, it would greatly improve reconstruction efforts all around."

Kathryn thinks for a moment and says, "Yeah like a supply line. That could work but it means we'll be in the desert again."

Rose smiles and says, "That a problem?"

Kathryn scoffs and says, "Not if I can get Alissian and Ryder engineers, I have an idea that would make our city something really special."

Gisele nods and says, "Very well, then could I ask for mages, I've always thought it would be beautiful to see magical lights against the ocean at night."

The man from before steps forward and says, "Then the Ryders will construct Valen between the two kingdoms."

"Valen?" Kathryn asks.

The man nods and says, "It's the Ryder word for atonement, I feel it's our responsibility after causing so much chaos."

"You're damn right, but it's good to see you understand as well. What's your name anyway?" Kathryn says.

"I'm Strahl, Strahl Ganier." The man says.

Kathryn pats him on the back and says, "I guess we'll be seeing each other pretty often now, so good to meet ya Strahl."

Rose smiles and says, "This is almost too good to be true."

Kathryn playfully shoves her and says, "Don't jinx it before we even get started!"

Gisele looks down and says, "As wonderful as it is, most of our world was destroyed. Our homes, our history, everything is gone now."

Kathryn puts her hands on her hips and says, "So what? If we don't have history then we'll make it. If we don't have homes, we'll build them. After all the secrecy and plotting behind the scenes, maybe it's time for a fresh start."

Gisele looks puzzled and says, "What do you mean?"

Kathryn smiles and says, "Rhea was destroyed in the convergence, but Thanos was born form the ashes and will carry us into the future."

"Thanos? It sounds lovely, but you did hear what Yona said it meant, right?" Gisele asks with a small laugh.

Kathryn scoffs and replies, "That's from some ancient language no one even understands anymore. I'm giving it a new meaning and that's that."

Gisele giggles and says, "A beautiful sentiment, Thanos it is then."

The dividing lines between Gracians, Alissians, and Ryders begin to dissolve as they head back to shore to board their ships. As they begin to sail away, Yona appears over the ruined structure and glides down inside through a hole in the roof.

She lands on the cold black floor and looks around as she says, "Don't be afraid, child."

Yona moves a large piece of rubble out of the way and sees Amelia sitting against a wall.

She is unconscious but Yona sees a small amount of black slime entering her mouth and she says, "So it is still here, I had hoped it would be destroyed, but you will not take this girl from me again."

Yona places her hands on Amelia's chest and her body begins to glow with an intense white light.

She closes her eyes and says, "You have proven yourself to be worthy of a god's power, more so than I..."

A tear falls from Yona's eye before her body bursts into golden spheres and they shoot into Amelia. The black slime is expelled from her body as she floats above the ground and Amelia's hair lengthens down to her back and turns a golden blonde color. Her dark brown eyes glow and change to light blue as divine power surges within her. She slowly descends and as she touches the ground, her clothes glow and transform into a flowing white dress.
She looks at her new body and is suddenly flooded with centuries worth of memories. She falls to her knees and holds her head until the feeling finally subsides and she understands what has happened. Yona's soul merged with her own and something new was created. She isn't quite Amelia anymore, although she isn't Yona either, but she has the memories of both women as well as their powers.

"I see..." She thinks to herself as she settles into her new personality, a mesh of the wise and elegant Yona and the brash and impulsive Amelia. Through the conflicting emotions, one thing is absolutely clear in her mind, the desire to protect. Not just a single person, but the entire world. She feels a sense of belonging and warmth, like everyone in the world are her children and she must nurture and protect them like a mother. She rises into the air and heads to the surface as her golden hair flows behind her and she disappears against the sunset.

Villages near the southeastern coast were the first to begin telling stories of the goddess. She healed their sick and made the land able to support life again to the people's amazement. They praised her and when asked, she tells them her name is Amara. The rumors spread quickly as Amara travels the lands and tries her best to undo the damage caused by the convergence. She visited her sister Rose for a short while and they shared a heartfelt reunion, but she felt compelled to continue her journey and Rose agreed with her. Time seemed to pass quickly and although Amara felt none of its effects, she could clearly see it taking a toll on those she loved.

Over the years, the joy she felt from helping people began to blur as her friends died one by one. Queen Kathryn was the first to go, at forty three years of age. She lead the charge against the last feral monsters on the continent against her advisers wishes and was killed near the end of the battle. Her soldiers said she died with a smile on her face, still clutching her sword tightly.

Gisele was the next, taken by sickness. The disease ravaged her body and at age forty five, she was bedridden only to die in her sleep a few weeks later. The hardest however was Rose, and despite her convictions, Amara raced back to Rose's side when she learned she had been hurt. In her travels, Amara came across a number of monsters with human features. She examined them and concluded that when Rose spread her divinity across the world, she also imparted some to the monsters, causing them to evolve rapidly into these new creatures.

She learned Rose had been trying to reach out to these monsters and teach them to be more human. Surprisingly Rose was successful for the most part and rarely was in any real danger, but this time was different. When Amara looks at Rose's wound, she can sense the corruption emanating from it. It doesn't seem like enough to control her, but it is preventing the wound from closing properly.

Despite her best efforts, Amara watches Rose decline over the next few months until she finally takes her last breath. The pain sears through Amara's heart but at the same time, she knows the pain Rose felt is gone and now she can be reborn. Amara strengthens her resolve to continue healing the scars of the convergence and once again sets out.

Over the next four hundred years, Amara watches as people rebuild and prosper in the newly restored world, although the corruption also seems to be regaining strength as well. Amara tries to continue Rose's dream of having the monstergirls be accepted although most people refuse, and she realizes the corruption has evolved yet again. It isn't controlling them completely, just pushing their minds into believing the decision was theirs. It's much more subtle and harder to sense, almost as if it were trying to counteract Amara's powers. It also isn't a physical substance anymore, meaning there is no way for Amara to remove it.

Believing there to be a source, she once again searches the land, and eventually finds a small village to the north teeming with corruption. Over the years, people became aware of the power Rose had awakened within them and most learned to use magic. The corrupted villagers are no exception and they attack Amara on sight, but they are overwhelmed by her power and she puts them to sleep. The village is small but the corruption has permeated the icy ground and stretches far beneath the surface.

Amara uses almost all of her power, but she is able to neutralize the corruption and the villagers return to normal. She collapses and breathes heavily for a moment before returning to her feet. She feels very weak and her power seems to surge and then wane over and over. Amara opens a portal and returns to the island, where she retreats into the ruined structure and heads underground. She stumbles into the pillar as she raises her hand and golden energy swirls around and creates a chamber, made from the pieces of rubble lying around. They are cut cleanly with her divine magic and when it's formed, Amara climbs into the chamber and lays down.

Her energy seals the chamber and she is encased in the shining gold light inside. Two separate divine energies occupy Amara's body and after using too much power, they are now fusing together as they replenish. The process is exhausting and the chamber lets Amara rest while her powers return. As she closes her eyes, Amara hopes she can find a way to repel this new form of corruption before it is too late. In the chamber, Amara is isolated and unaware of anything happening outside.

Her energy stores are larger than even she realized however, and six hundred and fifty years pass by in the blink of an eye. Without her presence, Amara is slowly forgotten and in time, people simply call her Mara in the legends passed down over the centuries. She is revered but also thought of as a mythical figure with no one really knowing if she was real, as the corruption slowly spreads across the lands and changes people's hearts and minds.

Over time, they become more easily influenced by the growing corruption as they go about their lives, unaware of the subtle changes they've undergone and the horrors of the still to come. People are lured into temptation and society takes a turn for the worst as slaves are deemed acceptable and the three major cities once again isolate themselves from each other.

Years later, a giant sphere of light appears over the island and a section of a stone palace falls onto the black structure. Still unaware, Amara is helpless as red skinned creatures emerge from the broken castle and scour the structure. The strongest of them all, a woman with icy blue eyes, finds Amara and recognizes her divine power. She breaks the chamber and imprisons Amara as she commands her followers to scavenge the island.

Despite her many attempts, the woman is unable to fully use Amara's power, however, she discovers an incomplete monolith underneath the structure and orders her minions to begin excavating. They dig for years as the woman slowly tortures and saps Amara's power. Against her will, the monolith reacts to Amara's divine energy and the woman enters the portal, returning a few minutes later stumbling and dripping pure corruption from every orifice in her body.

The black slime enters her body and after a moment, she acts as if nothing happened, although her minions seem to notice the dramatic increase in her power as they scurry away. As Amara struggles against the thick chains confining her, she suddenly feels something warm resonating with her. She recognizes it as the fire crystal and vaguely sees two girls from a far off future fall through a portal that leads to Thanos.

Using the last of her strength, Amara reaches out to the girls and says, "I am sorry but I need your help strangers. I can give you my powers, but you must save my people from the corruption."

The corruption may have distorted her words, but the divine energy seeks out its target as soon as the girls exit the portal and fall unconscious onto the ground.

"It's in your hands, please become a champion for my people." Amara says before she falls into a deep slumber.