Rouya watched in horror as the fire continued to spread throughout the city. Waterwells were planted in each section of the city and the river hugged it but most of the people appeared to be fleeing for their lives and not combating the fire. She glanced around searching for members of the guard she might have available to get out of range from any of the maidens fighting within the fortress and go help the citizens below but the palace appeared largely deserted.
The fortress collapsed in on itself but when Rouya spun around her heart lifted. Markus managed to make it out of there alive. She ran across the lawn and hugged him tightly, pressing her face against his chest.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she said, glancing up at him. "What happened to the separatists?"
"You don't have to worry about them any more."
Rouya frowned, pulling away. "I don't? Did you beat them all? I thought I saw Ahzi flee a moment ago."
The bond to Evelyn and Tassia disappeared and she could no longer feel their presence in the world. She reached into the Shadow Realm, gathering magic to summon the maidens once more. She could use their abilities to help save the city from collapse.
"There's a darkness out there. Beyond the Frontier, slowly encroaching on us," Markus said solemnly. Rouya cut off her summoning to regard the man nearly twice her age. He appeared to be troubled by something but of what she couldn't quite piece together. "Your father never believed me when I told him about the great leviathan. The devourer of worlds."
"Are you feeling all right? I think you might have been through a little much tonight," Rouya said. She hooked her arm in his and led him towards the palace. She needed him in a right state of mind if she were to make it through the night. "Just take a seat here and rest for a moment. Do you know what happened, Mitra?"
The Maiden sharpened her gaze on Rouya. "The rebels have been defeated but Kalim managed to get away. The other matter is a legend passed down from generation to generation. I recall it in its original form."
"A legend, you mean that of the Padishah Emperor?"
Mitra nodded. "That's a part of it but the other half is darker in nature by dealing with the end of the universe."
Markus gripped her wrist and pulled her close. "It's not a legend but nobody believes me. I'm the chosen one destined to defeat the leviathan. The Ghazi."
"I'm glad to see you're still around then. We have bigger issues at stake right now and the city needs our help. Do you know where Adelaxia is?"
"If you knew what I did, you'd do the same. You would understand," Markus said, his eyes focusing once more. He gave her a slight smile and nodded. His hand shot out, gripping Rouya by the throat and hoisting her into the air. He patted her chest and reached into her pockets before pulling the ring from her finger. "You may find your peace and know that I'm going to take care of humanity. With me, we stand a chance."
Rouya struggled, wailing about and kicking with her legs. She clawed at his hands, trying to gasp for air but his fingers dug deep into her throat. Memories, thoughts and emotions all raced through her mind in competition. She recalled one of her first lessons when she was eight. Her instructor taught her how to defend herself in case anyone tried to kidnap her. She moved her hands in the fixed routine, gripping his wrist and applying pressure with a twist until his strangle on her faltered.
A bright flash lit up the night sky followed by a thunderous cacophony in the distance, steadily drawing nearer. A burst rippled in the air and knocked both of them off their feet.
Rouya gasped and sucked in as much air as she possible could. The pain throbbed in her throat as she steadied herself on wobbly legs. She quickly searched for the Nazar, only to find Markus dangling it off the chain in his hand. Rouya reached for her scythe and prepared to attack her former ally. She'd been wrong to trust him and put her faith in his words. Just how much of what he told her was false and how could Justinian and Evelyn be so wrong about a man they trusted for years?
"I'll be taking that back," she screamed as she raced ahead and hefted the scythe to the side in preparation to strike Markus down.
Evelyn appeared in front of her, blocking her path to Markus. Her eyes opened as if she'd just woken from a deep slumber and met her bewildered stare.
"As much as I'd like to, I can't get myself to kill you. I appreciate what you've done this past week and admire your courage, albeit recklessness. The universe is in need of a more talented and skilled leader," Markus said. He held out his hand and pointed to Rouya. "I'll leave her to you, Evelyn. Kill Rouya and join me in my noble quest to save the universe!"
* * *
Mah arrived at the Mage's Guild set up in Kyrarae and entered the lavish building nearly the size of the palace. It had its own wings for each of the magical fields and an open courtyard in the center of the building where portal services were processed. The lanterns were out, making it difficult for Mah to make out what happened as she strode past a registration desk.
An eerie silence contrasted the noise outside of people crying and screaming for help. An evacuation appeared to be the easiest solution in getting the people to safety but she despised the idea of leaving Rouya behind. With the battle raging on, she should have joined in and helped protect her but Rouya insisted on sending her away to help others.
The sooner I get the magi to help, the sooner I can get back, she mused. Her foot dug into a bag laying out in the middle of the floor. She held her hand out to the side, channeling a string of magic to light a flame in her palm. The soft glow was enough to help her navigate the room and to notice that it wasn't a bag she had stumbled into but a body. Dozens more laid sprawled out on the floor.
Mah bent a knee and turned over the body in front of her, revealing a single slash across the man's throat. A clean cut frightened people or looters wouldn't be able to pull off. She inspected the remaining people and sighed. "Show yourself, Maiden."
Attia appeared by the entrance, wiping her blades clean of blood on a curtain. She glanced over her shoulder at Mah and smiled. "I'm glad to see you here. I was afraid my master wasn't going to let me have any more fun tonight. Are you up for a dance?"
"You killed the realmwalkers. Why would you do that? Don't you see what's going on outside?" Mah conjured up a ball of fire in each hand in preparation to deal with Attia.
The ground beneath them shook, knocking down the paintings from the wall and testing the foundations of the structure. It held for the time being but dust already swirled in the air between them.
"If I had to make a wager, I'd say the people here didn't have much time left to begin with. Let's give them the quick and painless death. The death of cowards."
"What do you know about death?" Mah spat. She hurled a ball at Attia, only for her to dodge the blow and watch it burst against the wall. "Even if I defeat you, you'd just come back whenever your master summoned you again. There's no consequences to your actions."
Attia approached her, elegantly avoiding every burst of fire Mah sent her way. She proved to be far too nimble for Mah to hit her directly.
"There's always a consequence. Can you feel it?" Attia whispered into her ear. "The tingle deep down inside of you. The stress your master feels when they are in danger and life slowly ebbs out of them. You'll know soon enough." She pressed the tip of her short sword against Mah's gut, slowly pushing the daeva back. "You'll never compare to the likes of us. Always be relegated to the role of aides."
Mah grimaced, clenching her hands into fists as she tapped into all the magic she could get. Her body heated up and suddenly became engulfed in a searing flame. She lunged forward, throwing a punch at Attia that caught the bewildered Maiden off-guard. Mah struck her on the cheek and quickly followed that up with a low blow into the gut.
Attia reeled back, readjusting her footing as she attempted to regain composure. "You're going to wish you could die when I'm finished with you." She spun the blades in her hands and went on the offensive, charging after Mah with a battle cry.
Mah took a step back and hurled a kick at Attia which she managed to block with the blunt of her arm. She wasn't a warrior but went along with the flow, trying to keep herself out of harm's way while also searching for an opening to attack.
The tide swiftly turned against Mah as she struggled to avoid Attia's lethal cuts. She risked taking a jab at her only to catch the grin of Attia as she realized her mistake. Attia leaned to the side and swung her sword down in front of her, slicing through Mah's arm. She didn't stop there, quickly dismembering Mah's other hand before driving her sword into Mah's shoulder and pinning her to the wall.
Mah trembled at the pain roaring through her body, wanting to let go of her presence in the physical world and return to the Shadow Realm. That's when she felt it and could practically see Rouya struggling against Markus. The way he touched her body and stole the relics from her.
The fire went out and all that remained was the ashen husk clinging to the wall of the Mage's Guild.