Pulling Angeline behind her Morgianna forced the wind to shoot them higher and higher into the atmosphere. Yet no matter how hard she tried it felt like she was being weighed down and was swimming through sludge. Looking down she could still make out people so she knew she was far from being high enough but she was running out of time. Each minute she had left was precious, a gift that she hoped to use to see her family once again.
Morgianna wanted to cry at the injustice of coming so far only to feel like she couldn't move forward. Like a movie, pictures flashed behind her eyes as she saw each person she wanted to protect. Starting with her family the list grew to unimaginable lengths. Of course her loyal guards were there, Fafnir, Alnwick, Faust, and Myra were practically family even if they didn't share blood. Soph and Matt and all of the other servants, even if she hadn't seen them in a while would welcome her back with open arms and she knew it. There was Olive with her sad eyes that lit up when she saw cake, a girl who already died once and was willing to stand beside her even with hardly any magic.
Silas and Killian and sometimes even Mr. Shelp (aka Mr. pretended to be the strongest when she first joined) could be considered friends from the guild. The princes and their insufferable courting, without it, it would feel like a piece of herself were missing. They had become her friends, despite the fear that one day they would be the ones to end her. Philip and his band of ex assassins that weren't bad guys even if they had to play the bad guy sometimes had traveled all the way here to fight after only meeting her briefly. Morgianna saw the dragons who fought for their freedom from Sora. Great magical beings that had hidden in their own place away from everything had come out to help save a world that had hunted them. Next she saw Zephyr and the other magical creatures that had made that forest their home and rose up when it was threatened. The faces kept flashing by, each with a story that had touched her heart in some way. A time and a place where they became comrades or even briefly enemies only for all of them to converge here, at this moment.
Morgianna was scared of using her magic, afraid to let it control her, but she was more afraid of what would happen when she released time. Would the people below her perish so easily after fighting to live? She felt like one of those people who cut the wires on bombs when there is a room full of hostages. One wrong move and it could spell disaster.
To unlock her magic she imagined it as a large chest with chains around it. When she first pictured it as a young child she felt like it held a ravenous beast. It thrashed and rattled barely calming as she placed more locks on it for fear it would escape. Over time no matter how many chains she placed on it they would crack as soon as she lost control.
Now as she looked at the chest it was still, not even the slightest clinking of chains could be heard. She moved forward her resolve hardening with each step she took. For too long she had feared a part of herself and it was time to let it free. As that thought crossed her mind all the chains around the chest faded leaving no trace that they had ever even been there. The lid was heavy, but nothing to Morgianna as she lifted it with ease. Inside resting on a pillow with its eyes closed was a baby. Its eyelashes rested on its chubby pink cheeks and its mouth pouted.
Morgianna did not even realize her body was moving until she saw her own hand reach out as if to touch the child. Just as her fingers were about to touch it's soft-looking cheeks its eyes snapped open and it grasped her hand with it's two tiny ones. Mismatched eyes stared back at her, one red and one goldish.
As if everything around her sped up Morgianna watched as the baby grew into a small child and then finally a young woman. It was like looking into a mirror as they held each other's hands and stared into each other's eyes. All this time she had been denying herself, fighting against herself... Hurting herself. She thought of the painting on the ceiling and all the possible meanings she had envisioned. All of them pointing at her getting in her own way.
When her other self smiled and nodded her head she returned the smile with ease. She was tired of running, whatever happened would happen so she was going to embrace it. Pulling herself towards her she hugged her with all the emotions she had been afraid to show. Her fear and sadness mixing with her desperation to see the world saved no matter the cost.
The other her started to crack as light particles drifted off of her only to sink into Morgianna. In moments it was only Morgianna left within her mind. The chest disappearing with the last remnants of the light particles. Morgianna could feel the magic within her that had always felt volatile and cold filling her with warmth.
It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and the lead that had been steadily growing in her stomach dissipated. Returning back to her senses she could see the world around her was just as she left it. Angeline was still in the process of going nuclear and almost every person she cared about was still in the blast zone. However instead of the fear and panic that Morgianna had felt before, she felt calm. With renewed energy and her magic at full capacity the climb into the atmosphere felt like nothing. She barely had to push and she ascended steadily. The feeling of wading through sludge gone and only a cool breeze from her wind caressed her face.
She rose so high into the sky that even the dragons that had flown in couldn't be seen. The world below her was a blur of greens, browns, and blues with no differentiation of kingdoms or classes. Looking over Angeline, there was a small part of Morgianna that felt sorry for the girl, but she had brought this upon herself. Hurting the people that Morgianna held close to her heart had signed her fate. Even if she were not about to explode, Morgianna would not have let her continue living.
Using her wind she pulled back her arm and launched Angeline even farther into the sky. Like a spear her body soared in an arc. Morgianna feeling that she was far enough away finally released her hold on time and watched as the girl who started it all screamed her last curse. The moment she was sure that Angeline would not survive she flew back quickly so that she herself would not be affected by the blast.
Slowly but surely she came back to the ground and took in all the damage that Angeline had wrought on her friends. Some were groaning in pain while lying upon the ground, some weren't moving at all and some were staring off into space blankly. She should have been feeling happiness that they had stopped the end of the world but instead she felt like she had missed something. She began searching for those she held closest to her. Olive and Felix were among the top of that list.
"Morgianna!" She had never been so happy to hear that voice in her while life. Turning she saw Alistar a little worse for wear but still mostly in one piece. She had a cut on his porcelain-like face and a bandage on his arm but otherwise seemed unharmed.
He jogged up to her his long hair trailing behind him. When he reached her he scooped her up and crushed her to him. She had been caught off guard but quickly came back to her senses. "Put me down, put me down now!" Her cheeks were red as he listened, looking a little sheepish himself.
"I'm sorry, I was just so happy that you aren't hurt. When Angeline attacked she caught us off guard and left some weird shadow puppet looking things that wouldn't let us leave. Thadeous was hurt and we couldn't even make it to him. He is insufferable with his jokes but I was glad when we made it back to see he is alright." He scratched his cheek as he looked anywhere but at her.
He looked like he wanted to say something more but another voice joined them. "You did it! I knew you could." Olive was beaming with a red-faced Felix following close behind her.
Slowly but surely Morgianna found herself surrounded by her friends. Most had minor injuries but still she went around healing cuts and bruises unworried of saving her energy. She didn't even have to think as the wounds healed almost instantaneously as she touched them. The magic within her was like a neverending well and these tasks could not even amount to a bucket of water.
Morgianna felt warm watching everyone interact. Their smiles and laughter filled the area as more and more people came forward to be healed. Silas stood away from everyone as he looked at what used to be the guild. Morgianna watched for a moment longer before slapping him hard on the back. "Guess you are homeless now." She watched his face for a reaction but only saw a slight twitch in his eyebrow. The guild was like his baby and she knew her words had gotten to the tough guy even if he wouldn't admit it. Feeling her magic well inside of herself she smirked and decided to try something big. Using her wind she picked up everyone who would be in the way and swept away all the rubble as if it were nothing. Then imagining the building just as it always was she pulled on her creation magic, willing it to be.
There were gasps all around as a building seemed to build itself in front of everyone from the ground up. Morgianna wanted to smirk as she put the finishing touches and saw everyone with their mouths gaping open. She herself was surprised at what she accomplished before she would have been tired before she was even halfway done with such a large task. Yet now she felt great like she could build an entire town if she wished.
She looked to Silas who was giving her a 'Are you kidding me?' Look. Just as she was about to give him a piece of her magnanimous and giving mind the world shook. If the blast from Angeline earlier shook the ground this was on a whole different level. The sky turned dark and storm clouds rolled in.
"Come find me when you are ready." An ominous voice boomed, sounding like it was all around them. Many were confused but to Morgianna that voice brought back all of her fears. Eltarr had been released and that signaled the world's end. He said to find him when she was ready but she would never be ready. The time she had left she thought she would spend on the shore of some beach surrounded by friends and family as she waited for her inevitable. Now..now she was sure that up until her very last minute, her very last breath she would be locked in a battle with him.