"Mira. My beloved."
Kazyr raised his arms hesitantly, eyes glazed with remembered grief. Lines of agony and pain creased his young face and for once he seemed the age old wizard he claimed to be.
Sadoul's instincts warned him away from the two ghostly figures, but he found himself transfixed by their heavenly grace. The right one of the two had glided close to Sadoul, just as the left had with Kazyr, and Sadoul's heart felt the same wrenching anguish as his companion's.
The white-clad woman standing before Sadoul died less than a day before his own death, having given up her own life to ensure his failure. But he did not hate her, despite the trauma they had caused each other in the name of their beliefs. He had loved her once.
"Elynthia," he said softly. "But how?"
Her lips moved in welcome. "Does it matter?"
Sadoul nodded slowly. "Yes. It does."
"Then come." She glided back a pace.
"I don't want-"
Light flooded from her outstretched arms, blinding his surroundings. Sadoul instinctively closed his eyes, raising his arms to ward off the brilliance. The light did not fade, but he came to realize that the rays did not harm him and tentatively opened his eyes.
The white light had consumed everything. He stood in a field of illumination that softly surrounded the fringes of his being like the morning fog. The light was far from harsh, reminding him disturbingly of his moments in death.
Elynthia materialized before him, expression warm and winsome. She clasped her hands serenely in front of her, allowing the long white shawl of her dress to billow in the light's warmth. Her long golden hair, so frequently tied up, now flowed freely along her shoulders to catch the light and form their own aura around her face. Elynthia smiled, a fulfilling joy lighting the irises of her deep blue eyes.
"We are here."
"Wherever that may be." Sadoul's fingers twitched in anticipation of danger. "Where is Kazyr?"
"Where we left him."
"Then where are we now?"
Elynthia closed her eyes as she shook her head with a smile. "You're still so impatient. Age has done nothing to you has it. Have you forgotten which Magician I was?"
"Soul," Sadoul replied tersely.
Elynthia nodded thoughtfully at him. "We are on the elemental plane of soul, the place where all life energy gathers after it ends its lot on Vay." She released a hand to wave around her. "But there is more, far more than just the denizens of Vay coming to reside here at the end of their lives. The spirits, souls, of beings throughout all our universe come here as well. Even I, as the Magician of Soul, could not know such a thing until after my death."
Sadoul jerked his head away dismissively. "I noticed no such thing, even when I was dead."
"You could not have, since your ties to this element are not nearly as strong as mine. But when I died, a new sense of being filled me, and I realized, that there is a higher power far beyond the scope of the Immortals so many people of Vay believe in."
Sadoul shrugged.
"I realized, that there is a creator of all things," Elynthia continued, "higher than the Immortals, higher than any god or goddess. The Maker-"
"Elynthia," said Sadoul, turning to catch her eye, "I don't want to hear it."
Her expression sobered. "The Maker enabled my return. He can bring back the dead, more completely than your companion's skills could do so. I am alive, breathing--you could touch me and I would not fade. I need no charm to hold the breath in my lungs, no magic to keep the beat of my heart. My dear Magician of Fire, I can see how you've changed. The hatred in you is gone and you dream of a world at peace. Isn't that what we fought for before--what we believed in during the darkest of hours?" Elynthia's hands clasped each other as in prayer.
Sadoul nodded, remembering, reliving.
"Can't we live together in a peaceful world?"
"There is little I would like more," he replied.
"The Maker knows you've been confused. Let me help. He has restored me, and he can restore you as well. We will both have our second chance at a life we never knew. Oh my dearest, if only you could see the whole of the matter as the Maker means it to be, then you would understand. Please, do not fight him. The Maker knows what he's doing."
"I'm sorry. I can't. The threats towards Danek, the imprisonment of Lucia--I can't ignore all that."
"Please try." Elynthia looked at him, eyes brimming with hope. "If you can't, I..."
Sadoul narrowed his eyes. "The Maker is forcing you?"
She shook her head bitterly. "No, it's not that. But if you don't, I will not be allowed to walk among the living. The Maker is willing to break the laws of death to reach an understanding with you. But if you cannot be swayed, there is little reason for him to grant you such a joy."
"I see. But how do I know this isn't a trick? How do I know that the Elynthia I knew would condone what the Maker has wrought?"
Elynthia's gaze softened. "See me with your heart, not with your eyes. Search your memories." She held out her hand. "Touch me."
Sadoul steeled himself. A part of him fought to denounce her as truly Elynthia, another could only hope her words rang true. He reached out and clasped her hand, feeling in it the same vibrance and life he fell in love with over a millennia ago.
"Elynthia..."
He pulled her towards him, bringing her into his embrace. Sadoul buried his face in her hair, recognizing her scent, the feel of her body against his own.
"It's been far too long."
Kazyr shook himself from his stupor as Sadoul vanished in a flash of light. "Where'd he go?" he asked immediately.
Mira cocked her head to one side, tucking long silver hair behind an ear with a delicate finger. "To be with his love. There is no greater joy."
"You are right. But how is it you've returned?"
Mira shrugged mischievously and the lock of hair fell back along her face again. "You can guess well enough on your own."
Kazyr's voice hardened. "Then you aren't real."
"Am I?"
Kazyr avoided her gaze. She gamed with words just as Mira had.
"You had no soul," he said softly. "There was nothing left after you were gone. The soul cannot return to earthly form if the soul never existed to begin with."
Mira shook her head and smiled ruefully. "Kazyr, hadn't I told you before? Though there is no afterlife for me, there would always be something left; your memories. I lived in them just as much as I would had I a soul to begin with.
"The Maker drew upon those memories to recreate me. I am Mira, beloved of Kazyr, and I am real."
"I could believe the Maker's that powerful..." Kazyr half-raised an arm to glance at the blue bracer around its lower half.
"He is the Creator."
"So he would have us believe."
"He is stronger than any god or goddess in existence, impossibly more powerful than the average mortal can comprehend. He will create peace where there was no lasting calm."
Kazyr would have thought her an avid advocate of the Maker if not for the mild manner in which she presented her view.
"But he is forcing his peace upon all the worlds in his path."
Mira shook her head again. "Not true. A parent must guide its child, and so he is. He is guiding all his children, and in turn their worlds, to a better life; one in which the family quarrels have been resolved. It is no more force than with which an errant child is brought into line."
"We are not his children. The two of us at least," --Kazyr gestured and drew his hand closed-- "we owe our loyalty to our goddess. She gave us immortality. She created you, not the Maker."
"She owes her allegiance to the Maker." Kazyr flinched. "And in turn we must appreciate him. He's here to give us the peace we had lost."
Kazyr couldn't believe her. "Mira, none of that's true. I was given means to travel here with the knowledge that I would eventually arrive. And here I am. And here I will fight the Maker."
"Why? Because Lucia told you to? Our goddess told you nothing of that."
"Our goddess told us nothing of the Maker." He met her eyes and held them with an intensity unbecoming of the good-natured mage. "I need a cause to fight for and I have found one. This world holds no memories for me, but it is very much like our own. I don't want an incident like that of Ulgar to occur again." He glanced away and then back at her. "It cost me too much, and I would not wish that upon any other man."
"Our goddess was ignorant though," Mira insisted. "She did not know of the Maker any more than the orphan knows of his parents."
"Perhaps."
Mira clenched a fist. "How can you say that! The Maker rules us. Though we sprang from our mother goddess, the Maker is the source of all life!"
"So you would not honor your mother?"
"If she is in the wrong: Yes!"
Kazyr shook his head. "You are not Mira. You have her mannerisms, her memories. But her beliefs, what would have constituted a soul had she possessed one--that you twist to your own ends."
"Kazyr." Her silver eyes glistened with urgency. "If you cannot honor the Maker, then I must fight you."
"You are not Mira."
"Am I?"
Kazyr tensed himself. "No."
"Then you must be destroyed. I am sorry."
"Not nearly as much as I am."
Kazyr gritted his teeth as the change overtook him. The joints in his legs wrenched themselves into new positions, a tail emerged from his spine, and white fur coated his body. He snarled as his jaws elongated and he watched his transformation mirrored in the thing that claimed to be Mira. Each halted the change at the half-human, half-beast state with fully lupine faces and all too human eyes. The white wolf took a stance against the silver and could only be reminded of the grace of his deceased mate.
She looked too much like Mira. And to see that beautiful silver hair again rent with blood...
He planted the end of his staff in the ground beside him and raised his arms to ready a defense. The light off the staff gleamed hotly against the blue of his enchanted bracers, reminding him of their power.
"All right," he said, "let's go."
A wave of magic rippled through the brightness that surrounded Sadoul and Elynthia. He could sense it, but she said nothing.
"Elynthia."
"Mmm?" she murmured into his shoulder. "What is it, Ardor?"
The wave came again. It was definitely rippling through the ground he could not see.
"I felt something."
A patch of darkness emerged not far from him, glowing, if that could be considered possible, against the backdrop of the white. He released his grasp around Elynthia and took a step towards it.
"Ardor... Don't go," she said reluctantly as he walked another pace towards it.
"I'm not going anywhere," he replied over his shoulder.
"You mustn't touch that. It will take you away from me."
He neared the patch and realized it stood atop a stem of some sort, a silhouette of something against the backdrop of the light. But he couldn't quite tell what it was--not yet.
"Elynthia, what is it? You know, don't you."
She shook her head. "It should not be here. It is disrupting this reality. It should be gotten rid of."
But she took no step towards it.
Sadoul glanced back at her, expression sympathetic. She was here, with him. It had to be her. Yet... The dark glow--it warned him of something. He felt no immediate danger, but he remembered Kazyr. Kazyr was still out there. And Ghaleon... Ghaleon! That was why he came here in the first place! The Goddess Crest! He still had to find that.
"I must go back." Sadoul's jaws tightened though his gaze remained soft. He nodded slowly to her. "You must understand. The Elynthia I knew would. We cannot be so selfish as to ignore the plight of friends."
"Ardor..."
"Ardor is gone, Elynthia. Only Sadoul remains."
"I can't let you go."
Rings of psychic energy formed around Sadoul's body, levitating close enough to impede movement and spellcasting, yet giving him enough open space to turn back around and face her--which he did almost immediately.
"Elynthia, why?" Sadoul asked quietly. He did not try to break his bonds, seeking instead only an answer. His eyes mirrored his feelings of betrayal, but sought to give them reason to rather than to fear them.
"Please," she said, "I must ask you again. Will you back off from the Maker's affairs? I can tell you all about that glow if you want, but you mustn't touch it yourself."
Sadoul looked calmly at her, blue irises surprisingly serene and thoughtful. "And touching that darkness would ruin the Maker's plans. Otherwise you would not stop me. You could tell me the truth, but it would be too late."
Elynthia flinched and looked away.
"And you say he's not forcing you," Sadoul continued in his measured tone. "Perhaps you're right."
Her gaze brightened.
"Perhaps you're not really Elynthia."
A light came to Sadoul's eyes and flame erupted in a raging circle around her. He finished a second thought and a pillar of fire rose beneath him, springing him clear of his suspended bonds. Sadoul somersaulted and landed in a crouch.
He stood up, proud and tall. "Now answer me," --Sadoul drew his sword-- "who are you really?"
She clasped her hands timidly before her, expression worried. "Elynthia."
Sadoul glowered, feeling he should have trusted his initial impression of her. "No, you're not. Something's wrong."
Don't you want Elynthia back? spoke a voice in his mind.
Sadoul shook his head. No, not this way. And I can no longer be sure of her. My senses can be fooled, but my heart not nearly so easily. I can't trust her.
"I just want you to take the time to consider," she said quietly. "Your impatience has caused you to regret things in the past. Don't let it do so again."
He snorted derisively. "You've asked me to look at you with my heart and I have. I've made up my mind! And that is: I'm sick and tired of people messing with my soul; people telling me I've changed, then telling me how much I haven't, or even how I've been restored! I'm tired of the Maker giving me more than my share of regret! I've had enough."
Sadoul backed slowly away from her and snatched the stem of the glow in his hand. The darkness from its crown washed over him, shunting her light from view. He raised that staff of darkness high, knowing that the waves of energy from its head would protect him. She cringed as the blackness between them widened, but though the rage faded from Sadoul's eyes, they mellowed into the form of a sad determination; perhaps sorrow for hurting her. He waved the staff in a final action and the soulful light vanished.
Sadoul found himself again in the chamber of bones.
Kazyr's chest heaved from his exertion. Mira had always been in better shape than him. But the bracers the blue dragon had given him brought his fighting skills up to par with hers. Indeed he landed several critical hits where he wouldn't have thought possible.
Kazyr swiftly ducked a lunge of her claw-tipped hands. He spotted an opening, spun, and landed a solid blow to her side. She came down, tucking herself into a ball, and tumbled away from him before springing back into a ready position. She bared her teeth, lips pulled back and ears pricked forward. Kazyr prepared himself for another charge.
Her claws grazed him before he could stop her this time. He caught one wrist as she completed her swing, and grabbed the other when she tried to claw out his eyes. Mira or not, she was still weaker than him.
She twisted, trying to throw him and then bringing her teeth to bear. He righted himself in time to catch her jaws in his own. Teeth clamped in each other's grasp, they fought and jerked their heads for control. Kazyr could taste blood; uncertain if it was hers or his own.
The pressure in his mouth increased as she champed down on his lower jaw. Kazyr's eyes watered. He had to get out of this deadlock! Kazyr knew a way, perhaps the only viable way.
He shifted himself back, pulling her forward as he stepped to one side. Kazyr winced as he felt her weight against his teeth, cutting into his gums. He steeled himself and brought his jaws together with all the strength he could muster. He could sense the soft skin of her muzzle giving way beneath his teeth, the protest of the bone beneath.
Her eyes widened with fear, a fear Kazyr had seen once before. Please, don't make me do this again! But he couldn't afford to release his hold. Not now, or she would fight him again.
A light flashed from somewhere in the direction of his staff, but Kazyr ignored it, closing his eyes to the pain. Her own teeth dug into his mouth, raking his tongue. But they wouldn't much longer. The arch, the bone that formed the bridge of her muzzle--Kazyr felt it shudder and crack. In a gut-wrenching moment he felt his own teeth meet. His jaws snapped open in horror and he staggered back from her as she weakly fell away.
Eyes bright and moist, she collapsed to her knees, changing back to her human form. She trembled, bringing up a hand to touch the smashed skull of her face. The bridge of her nose, her upper jaw, they held on only by a few stretches of her pale skin. When she brought her hand away, her fingers were coated with blood. She looked desperately up at him and her lower jaw moved slightly.
"No," Kazyr said raggedly, recoiling from her as he reverted to his human shape. "Don't speak. Don't try."
She shook her head slowly, the loosened part of her skull waving horribly a fraction of a second after the rest, and reached out her blood-stained hand to him.
Why must I do this? Why must I kill her a second time?
Kazyr lifted a hand, unable to speak.
What if I'm wrong? But, it must be done!
He gestured, calling up the magic. Fire raged around him in response to his will. He motioned it towards her, feeling hot tears slide down his cheeks.
She met his eyes, and he saw in there not the hatred and rage he would have expected of a minion of the Maker, but the love and forgiveness she had expressed when the fire first consumed her so long ago. She who had looked to him with all her heart even as she saw her death coming towards her...
"Mira!" Kazyr cried.
The high walls of the chamber mournfully echoed his wail. But only ashes remained.
Kazyr dropped to his knees, sobbing and hiccuping. He shook slightly as he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Sadoul standing beside him. The blond wizard gripped Kazyr's staff in his other hand.
"I saw," Sadoul said before Kazyr could ask his question, "and I understand."
"We have brought love to this hall of death and slain it." Kazyr looked back at the ground, long white hair shielding the haggard features on his face. "Love truly does break the heart. Is it a weakness?"
Sadoul shook his head. "No. Kazyr, make no mistake. It was our love that saved us--love for Mira, love for Elynthia, love for each other." Sadoul gripped Kazyr's shoulder firmly. "Whenever love is the salvation, we must believe!"
A glare shone from above them, catching Sadoul's eye. He tilted back his head to watch a small ribboned form descend towards him. It sparkled brightly in pink and white, drifting down before his eyes in a radiant glow. The Goddess Crest settled against his chest. It hummed, flooding him with warmth and dissolving itself in its holy light. The light spread, surrounding his torso, gathering at his shoulders, and then flowing to the ground in a magnificent sheet of brilliance.
Sadoul slowly exhaled as the feeling of power left him. The light faded, revealing a suit of white armor and a cape the color of the Goddess Crest itself. Time halted for an instant, and in that brief moment, Sadoul, Magician of Fire, could finally believe in a higher power.