Gwen was near the wall when the ground trembled. What great timing! She quickly steadied herself. A glance showed the mages on the wall rushing toward the outer edge. None of them were looking her way. She jumped the twenty feet remaining to land atop the wall, unnoticed by all. Two mages with horrified expressions were transfixed, staring at the mists. Perfect. They got a closer view when she shoved them over the side. Their screams were lost to the general noise. Although she was in a hurry, Gwen savored their terror and the crunch from below. When she looked up, she felt fear herself. The mists were moving.

"What's going on!?" A mage demanded as he exited the gate control room.

"Help!" Gwen shrieked, rushing toward him.

"Huh?"

The mage's confused uttering turned into a nonsensical gurgle as Gwen's paw rocketed into his privates, lifting him into the air. Things down there became rather… mushy. Gwen second kicked, at apex of his first assisted aerial acrobatics, knocked him over the wall. That was when she noticed the other mage.

"FORCEBOLT!" A blast of energy knocked Gwen a dozen feet back, her chest constricting with pain. She spat blood as she rolled to the left, avoiding a second spell. She got to her feet, making a quick dash to the mage.

"SPECTRAL CHAINS!" The mage shouted as magical bindings wrapped around her. She toppled over. As she fell, an overwhelming panic took her. Then she was back to that night. The night when the kin were being taken. The mages had bound her and then dragged her off to the bed. The hands groped her body, tearing the clothes from her. The smiles they gave her as they forced her legs apart. The feel of their…

"NOOO!!!" Gwen shouted as the horrors of that night assaulted her. Rage and fear competed in pushing her on. She strained against the spell with all her magical and physical power. A vein bulged in her forehead as the spell shattered. The mage walking toward her stumbled in shock as she scrambled at him.

"BAR…" The mage never finished the chant as Gwen's fist connected with his chin. The bones deformed around her blow, teeth flying both outwards and down his throat. The mage clutched his ruined chin as the next strike landed squarely on his nose. The mage's face deformed around her fist. It wasn't enough! She would never let them do that to her again! She punched again and again until there was nothing recognizable remaining. Gwen returned to herself as the other cultivators secured the control room, securing the gate in the open position. They didn't say anything as she trembled. They didn't need to. Many of them had similar nightmares.

"Never again…" Gwen whispered.

***

Archmage Denayd was sipping his tea when the earth began to tremble. He frowned, setting both his tea and book down. He'd intentionally stayed far away from today's events. It was easier to persuade Azura that he was uninvolved in the elves' activities if she prevailed. Grumbling, Denayd got to his feet, grabbing his staff. When he opened the door, he saw no one. Not surprising. His room was near ground level and away from all the annoyances of daily life here. Denayd loved his privacy just as much as his thirst for knowledge. It appeared that both sensations would go unfulfilled. He was no closer to discovering the source of Azura's power than when she first appeared. Two more turns and Denayd became concerned. Where was everyone? It took another five minutes before he ran into a panicking mage.

"Boy, slow down!" Denayd barked, projecting his most commanding tone. It was one he'd practiced over the years. Either his voice or the fact that the young mage looked entirely lost did the trick. The young man halted in his tracks.

"Good. What's going on?" Denayd said as the boy faced him.

"Oh, thank the gods from above!" His relief was evident. "Archmage, the kin are attacking!"

"What kin?" This made absolutely no sense. The kin all had slave runes.

"The strange foreign kin that came a week ago."

Denayd frowned. The kin under Raphael's command? This made no sense unless… Was he some foreign agent sent to weaken Fortunia? It was possible. The kin would have an advantage with the mana cannon exhausting all the ambient mana.

"Where's General Darkfall?" Denayd asked. The man had to be aware of what was going on.

"The kin captured him," the mage timidly said. "They have taken him along with several other high-ranking mages hostage."

Denayd swallowed. Darkfall was a powerful mage. If the kin could take him… This could be a disaster. Even worse, Azura would be fighting the elves right now.

"Where are they?" Denayd asked. Perhaps he could buy their freedom.

"They're at the main gate," the mage said.

Denayd mentally dismissed the man and started for the gate that led toward Deepmere.

"Not that gate Archmage. The western gate." The mage said to his back.

Denayd turned puzzled. What was going on? He followed the mage, his thoughts churning. When Denayd arrived, he found the kin lined up in two rows in front of the gate like an honor guard. Mages were held at knifepoint before them. It was a show of power. Darkfall was held securely by a large bear-kin. Blood covered a small portion of his face. Otherwise, he seemed unharmed. How long this remained true was a different question, as his glare barely contained his fury.

Denayd looked around for the controlling mage Raphael. When he found him, his stomach fell. He was one of those standing at attention as Azura casually strolled in. She walked calmly down the middle of the kin. As she walked, one of the kin behind her handed her something. She attached it to the center of her chest piece. It perfectly fit in the indentation in her armor. Once he saw the symbol, he knew he was finished. The symbol matched the others except for one difference. In the center of her spiral was a blood-red gem.

Denayd burst into a thick sweat that wouldn't be out of place in a forge. His mind raced, trying to think of some excuse. Before he could come up with anything, Azura spread her arms wide.

"Cultivators, show them your power!"

Denayd's senses came alive. Magic seemed to roar all around him, thick and heavy. It didn't come from the local mages nor the Magebane herself. It came from the kin as they flexed their mana pools, all of them. Now Denayd knew how the young mage from before felt. His own panic became an insurmountable mountain.

"HOW!?" He screamed. This shouldn't be possible! The Magebane simply smirked at him as she drew steadily closer. Then it hit him like an overpowered Forcebolt. If the Magebane could close mana pools, she could also open them.

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Fear replaced the panic. The Magebane wasn't simply rescuing kin. She was making an army. He would have cursed himself for not checking the kin for awakened mana pools if that was ever a reasonable thing to do. Why would he, or anyone, ever check?

"So, you planned on attacking us from the beginning," Denayd said, his throat dry.

"Me," Azura said, sounding hurt. He sincerely doubted it was real. "Not at all. I just knew you'd betray me. I had things ready, just in case. If you didn't attack first, this would've never happened."

The Magebane continued forward. "Then again, the mists caught all of us by surprise."

Denayd just stared at her. Was she going to kill them? She could do it. With her power and that of the kin, they had little chance now that Darkfall was taken.

"I'm afraid that we must amend our deal. I'm taking all of the kin here with me."

"You can't," Darkfall snarled. He struggled briefly against the bear-kin who held him. It was slightly more effective than a butterfly trying to push a rock.

"The ambient mana won't replenish for a few weeks. We need the kin to hold the mists back."

"Too bad," Azura said coldly. "If any of your mages survived out there, they'll tell you it's pointless."

"What do you mean?" Denayd asked. How had the situation spun so out of control?

"The mists are being controlled by intelligent creatures called Eldritch Lords."

The statement made no sense. Was it a lie? Something to confuse them? He would've clung to that notion, but she did not need to lie.

"Nonsense," Darkfall said. "The mists are just a force of nature like the tides."

"I don't care if you believe me. I think a few mages survived. They'll be able to confirm it," Azura said with a shrug.

"So, we're taking all the kin?" A rat-kin said.

"No choice. Bring them here," Azura said. As she spoke, Denayd saw young Elise enter the city with a white cat-kin behind her. Denayd swore as she saw the body that the cat-kin held.

"Loric…" Did the kin kill him?

"Archmage," Elise said, coming up to him. Her eyes were puffy with tear streaks marring her cheeks. If it was from sorrow or rage, he couldn't tell. "Why? Why did this happen?"

He debated on lying or refusing to answer. A quick look showed him that Azura was listening as well. As all was lost, perhaps some truth would aid him better here. Besides, that bastard Raphael had been privy to their plans, so no doubt Azura knew most of it already.

"The elves wanted revenge. The council decided that Azura couldn't be reasoned with." He heard Azura snort but otherwise stayed silent. "It was decided that the elves would be allowed to act as they saw fit. Deepmere would neither aid nor hinder them." Elise's face fell. "What happened to Loric? Lord Tarwin will want details on his death."

"The elves killed him," Elise spat.

"I see," Denayd said. He was about to ask for more details when three elves reached the gate. They gasped for air while warily looking at the kin.

"Oh, you finally showed up," Azura said. "I thought you stopped for a nap."

They glowered at her but wisely didn't respond. Instead, they evaluated the situation. Denayd hoped they wouldn't do anything foolish. His concerns were unfounded as they hesitantly made their way toward him. They watched the Magebane with each step as if they expected her to strike at the slightest provocation. For her part, Azura was ignoring them.

"May I go see to my duties?" Darkfall sneered.

"Depends," Azura said. "Do you agree that we can take the kin? Along with enough supplies to feed them for a month."

"A MONTH!" Darkfall exclaimed. "You think too much of yourself. I admit the kin took us by surprise, but over a thousand mages are here. The only thing keeping us from eradicating you is your cowardly act of taking hostages."

"That and the lack of ambient mana," Azura added.

"General Darkfall, the loss of the supplies will only hamper us in the short term," Denayd said quickly. "The kin won't cooperate now. This would be for the best."

Denayd was sweating. Darkfall's pride could cost them everything. Unexpectedly, it was the elven commander Sylvar who supported him.

"The Archmage is right. The Magebane slaughtered over thirty elite elves in a single attack. It pains me to admit it, but we can't oppose her with the ambient mana gone."

Darkfall looked like he could spit a Poisonbolt. Azura seemed unconcerned as she sat on a wagon, kicking her paws back and forth.

"FINE!" Darkfall snapped.

"Swear it on your mana pool," Azura said.

Denayd didn't think it was possible to enrage the man further, but he was proven wrong. The veins on the man's head looked like worms, ready to burst forth with each heartbeat.

"I swear that I and the forces under my command will not take any actions against you or your kin."

Denayd let out a private sigh of relief. The worst was behind them. That was until he heard Sylvar's report back at the keep. Strange magic users in the mists that could match the Magebane in power. This was a disaster. No. A disaster was something they could recover from. This was so far beyond disaster that he lacked an adequate comparison. And the ultimate sting was that they had just alienated the only person who could fight equally with their enemy. He cursed the council and himself for their actions. With nothing left to lose, he went to find the Magebane. Perhaps begging might work…

He found her in the central plaza surrounded by kin. As he neared, several kin gave him hostile looks. That ceased to matter to him as he saw her. More precisely, he saw the crimson star on her finger. In some sort of ritual, a kin knelt before her, opening his mouth. Azura gently placed the star in him. What was that? Some kind of magical power? He felt nothing. Perhaps if he… GODS ABOVE!

He felt it then. The kin's mana pool flared briefly as it awakened, breaking the slave rune. The crimson star emerged from the kin's flesh, returning to Azura's finger. The kin stumbled away as the next one knelt. The process repeated. Denayd watched, enraptured. He didn't even notice the mage pulling on his arm. His awareness only returned when he was far enough away that he couldn't see. Denayd turned, ready to blast the fool mage out of existence. He hesitated when he noticed it was Darkfall's assistant.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you Archmage, but the General needs you immediately. The mists are approaching."

That broke the spell Denayd was under. This throat went very dry.

"Take me to him."

This day was full of mysteries. How were the mists spreading so fast? It has always been a slow, gradual process. Perhaps that had all been a façade. Was there any hope left? He took a brief look back at Azura before walking faster. If he hurried, perhaps something could be salvaged.

***

The pyre was ready as the last rays of daylight faded. Elise held the torch, its light casting long shadows. She looked at her father's remains resting peacefully atop the structure. The ceremony was small. Only she, Coralline, and Azura were in attendance. Azura looked worn as she stood next to her mother. Unsurprisingly, she had been awakening kin's mana pools all day. That or it was the stress of the approaching wall of mists. A glance to the west told her that tomorrow or the day after, it would be at the very walls of Fortunia. She let that worry dissipate. This was more important now. Coralline stepped forward, her face full of regret.

"Loric, I was angry at you for a long time. I felt betrayed by all the empty promises you made. Yet, you helped where you could. Most importantly, you gave me my daughter. For that, I have nothing but eternal gratitude. I hope wherever your journey takes you, it treats you more kindly than this one." The cat-kin stepped back, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Azura rested her hand on her mother's before stepping forward.

"Father… That still sounds weird to me. You've been absent from my life for so long that you're nothing more than a stranger. I think we might've gotten along from the little time we had together. Now, I'll never know." Azura paused as if in deep thought. Perhaps she would say something more profound, but she ended it simply. "Goodbye… father."

Azura took a step back and hugged her mother. Elise desperately wanted her mother there at this moment, but like many things she desired, it wasn't to be. Elise took a step forward, her voice thick with emotion.

"Father. I can't believe you're gone. It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were going to be a family. What do I do now?"

The world distorted as her eyes flooded with tears. She didn't suppress them; instead, she let them flow.

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!?" Elise shouted, startling a flock of crows who were eyeing the body. A fit of unreasonable anger burned in her. She let that burning anger transfer to the only place left for it to be directed. She tossed the torch into the pyre. It started slowly as smoke lazily drifted upward. She thought about casting a fire spell but dismissed the idea. She needed time. The world hurt too much for her to rejoin it yet.

A pair of arms encircled her, pulling her close. The blue hair told her who it was, but it didn't matter at that moment. She sobbed into her sister's shoulder. It was so unfair. All of it. At last, she understood some part of what the kin had endured, including what her sister had. For now, just crying and being held was enough. Enough to hold back the pain from engulfing her. The pair held tight as the blaze consumed all.

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