The night after Saiyi and Wep's outing, the young Goddess was in a great mood. Not only was her day with him incredible, but she had finally gotten to exercise some of her power practically. She was bursting to tell Shiwa how she saved the man Kit and his vehicle. She decided to get some rest. She had renewed energy and determination for her flying lessons. Saiyi lay on the bed for a while, too excited to sleep. She drifted off eventually with pleasant thoughts, hoping she would dream about her day. Instead, she found herself flying. She was happy to be in the air again. It seemed so easy. It amazed her that she struggled so much just a day before. Ahead she spotted a beach and landed like a feather just beyond the ocean's reach. The water lapped at the sand before her lazily. She took a deep breath enjoying the crisp sea air. How wonderful the shore was. It did not occur to her that no such thing existed on Cyla anymore.
Down the beach some ways she spotted another. She strolled over to the figure, relishing the wet sand between her toes. She was still wearing her dress, but seemed to have left her shoes behind. She had no worries as one did not need shoes to walk along the beach or to fly. As she approached the figure, she recognised her. The other woman had unnaturally long and skinny limbs. Her face cut at sharp angles framing a grin that was wide enough to make Saiyi uncomfortable. The woman's eyes were obscured under her long black hair. The sun had disappeared. In the sky were shapes moving and roaring. The young Chosen had no way of recognising clouds but they were dark and made her uneasy all the same. Water started coming from the sky. Saiyi held out her hands marvelling at the phenomenon. The woman seemed unperturbed by any of this.
"Are you The Mother Goddess?" Saiyi reached toward the woman. But try as she might her words and arms could not reach the woman, even though it seemed she was standing right beside her.
"They come. Be wary." The woman spoke like bare feet walking on broken glass. Her long arm raised and pointed, reaching impossibly across the ocean. Saiyi diverted her gaze to what the woman pointed toward. In the distance she could make out figures hovering above the water. Like the woman they were right in front of Saiyi yet far off in the distance at the once. She could not make out any of their features or tell how many there were exactly. They remained silhouetted shifting like a mirage. She became aware that she was staring into the rising sun. Above her the clouds had been replaced by earth. She recognised the shape of the landmass above her. She was standing under Thay, in the town she once called home. The sunlight started to fade, drawing her attention to the horizon once more. The orange faded to yellow, then green. Trees sprung from the mud of her home town and the area was transformed, becoming a paradise like the island above it.
The light continued to change slipping into a shade of teal. An intense roar rising as the colour changed. The figures raised their arms and the horizon came to life. The cyan skies frothed and curled as a giant wave started moving across the land. Panick flooded Saiyi. She tried to lift into the air to warn her town but found herself stuck to the ground, unable to even walk. She looked over to where the woman had stood, but now her father had taken the woman's place. He was kneeling over at the feet of The Seer, Kez Visat. Her patron and father seemed unaware or unphased by the impending doom before her. The wind around her ripped and pulled at her like a thousand angry ghosts. Her dress ripped and tore in places and she cursed the fact that she was not dressed practically enough. She chastised herself for wanting a normal life with someone like Wep, when her life had become all but supernatural since the raid those months ago. The wave continued ever onward finally reaching the edge of the island only a few kilometres away. As the indominable wall of water touched the land above, it ignited. The frothing fierce water erupted into flames. Now a surge of fire pushed its way through the gap between heaven and earth. The wind howled even stronger carrying an unbearable heat with it. In the centre of the tidal wave of fire Saiyi could see the woman's figure again. She seemed unperturbed by the heat and flew along the leading edge, still smiling, alien and terrifying in her stretched appearance.
After what seemed like an eternity of anticipation and fear, the firestorm reached Saiyi. The houses and her father were consumed and turned to ash. Kez Visat was still standing, seemingly unaware of the death around him. The fire swirled violently around Saiyi, her clothes catching fire and burning away. Yet she was unhurt and found herself wearing her training clothes instead. Around her the figures from earlier now stood, hand in hand. She could not count them or make out their features. The fire was being repelled from them as if it feared their presence. The woman also had stopped short of the ring and she was no longer smiling. She reached her claw like hand toward Saiyi's chest. Toward Saiyi's amulet. Saiyi looked down to see the gem had changed. It was no longer red but instead was cycling through every colour imaginable. The fire sputtered out. The figures around her bowed to her. The woman and Kez had gone with the fire. Above her now was a warm friendly sun. She looked up at the clear sky, relieved to breathe the crisp air once again. The sand was warm and soft beneath her feet. She stood there on the shore by herself now, dress once more billowing in the breeze. With her feet she dug into the soft wet sand. It seemed as if she could feel all of Cyla as one living being. She stayed there then just shy of the water's edge. Alone but at peace.