Rachel sat in the air, the thrall's dead eyes directly in front of her. She pulled at his fate as it flowed before her like a slow moving river. She watched as the thrall formed. It was a demon dragon originally and it wielded ailment magic to kill millions of its kind. As it formed into a thrall its soul well split into two. One moved from its central position to a point near its tail.
Rachel watched as his identity went to the portion near his tail and his ability grew in the one that remained centrally.
A slow smile grew across her lips. 'Please bring me the gem Struns.' As Rachel waited for Struns water magic moved towards the thrall.
Struns moved along the thrall's body. As he went to Rachel the temperature dropped dramatically and he saw the thrall freezing next to him. When Struns reached Rachel the thrall was a statue made of solid ice.
Rachel looked up with a slow smile. She reached out a hand and Struns placed the gem in it, as he looked up at the thrall. The gem was so red it looked black and it was heavier than it should have been. Rachel looked at it and her smile broadened. She thought she would need to clean it but it was pristine.
She stored it away in a dimensional storage and looked at Struns carefully. She noticed the silver hairs and raised an eyebrow. 'Was the thrall so strong that he had to use evolution sorcery?' Her thoughts didn't caus her to hesitate in healing him and when he was fully healed the silver hairs retracted.
Rachel stood and sighed. "Come. We need to finish things. This thrall caused a lot of damage and it will not disappear just because it is no longer controlling things."
A broad door of deep amber appeared. Animals trapped in the amber trembled as the opaque door swung open. They walked through the entrance and into a brightly lit tunnel. They stopped for a moment to allow their eyes time to adjust to the light.
"We need to get to the formation." Rachel looked at Struns appraisingly for the second time in less than a day. "Can you help me with some spellwork?"
"Of course I can. Will Rebecca join us?"
Rachel nodded and began walking through the tunnel. "Yes. As well as my siblings and the guard commanders."
"We need that much help?"
Rachel sighed. "We need more than that especially with Shain still causing problems."
Struns tightened his fist. He respected all Azmin because it was what he was raised to do. His ancestral realm was not a distant place and he visited often but he was born in Trannisa and Trannisa was his home.
But Shain harmed someone that he loved more than his own life and he could never forgive him or trust him ever again.
They walked from the amber tunnel into a brightly lit dimension. The land was a deep green but there was no grass, trees or flora of any kind. Only bacteria, fungus, and microorganisms were thriving here. The two stood on a platform of amber that lead from the door to stairs covered in the same green that flooded the dimension.
A broad road of rainbow light formed before them and expanded outward. It curved to the east and then to the south. They began walking across the road in silence. Rachel broke the silence after walking a short while.
"Don't worry about Shain. We will decide what to do with him."
Struns was quiet for a long moment. "I know he is a…"
"It doesn't matter what family or ethnic group he comes from. He is putting our realm in danger. We just need to figure out if it is him or if he has been manipulated. Either way he will be punished in some form or fashion."
"I am just saying it will be difficult because of his family background and ethnicity."
Rachel pretended not to hear him. "We will need to draw from the formation and fill the abyss with magic. Mostly Azmin magic but we will need you and Rebecca to support us."
They came to a set of brass stairs and an old brass door scraped open at the top of them.
The rainbow road extended to the door and they walked through without hesitation. The vibrant green had spread along the road as if it fed on light. When the road disappeared it fluttered to the ground like dust.
Rebecca was waiting for them when they arrived below Sibba. With her connection with Rachel she already knew everything that had happened and she was a bit upset about not being involved in the fight with the thrall.
Rachel was incredibly powerful and most things did not phase her much anymore so Rebecca knew Rachel was safe but she felt like she let her team down. So when she saw them it took everything in her not to be the sarcastic bitch that she wanted to be.
The trio entered the tent designated for them. They sat down together at a massive table made of a deep pink crystal. The crystal helped with focus and memory. Rachel poured herself a glass of what seemed to be water but smelled like fragrant berries.
'Do you want me to tell them the new plan?'
Rachel shook her head. 'No. My siblings know. They will talk to the commanders.' Rachel leaned her head back. She was not tired but her body wanted to sit and be still.
She was still a bit upset that she had sensed nothing of what the thrall had done and that her realm, and countless realms, were almost destroyed.
'What is the plan for Shain?'
'Maybe Small Color.'
'The penal continent can not hold an Azmin. It was never built for that.'
Rachel smiled as she looked to Struns. 'You have way too much respect for my family. There is a way to hold an Azmin on Small Color.' She sighed again. She was sighing a lot these days. 'Give me a few minutes and we will start.'
'A few minutes? You need more than that'
Rachel only closed her eyes.
A few minutes later there was a meeting in the center of the encampment. The camp was set on what Azmin used as boats. They were platforms that floated in the sky. They were not like the continents that the realm created they were more akin to huge aircraft carriers with high railings. They used magic to grow grass and different plants and trees. The clouds were gathered below them as one line of defense for them.
Trannisa had many natural effects that were defense systems for its residents. Clouds were one of them. One trigger for this was to physically, or magically gather clouds together.
There was a ring of trees in the center of the encampment that created and circulated the magic that maintained and defended the "ship".
The meeting was being held within this ring of trees.
Rachel already told everyone what needed to be done. She explained the demon thrall, its purpose to cause disease and its two previous visits to Trannisa.
Now they were trying to decide the best way to proceed in dealing with the enthralled.
Rachel merely listened. Rebecca and Struns sat on either side of her and they also said nothing, but they seemed to pay closer attention than Rachel.
It was decided that Rachel, her two Antrunie, her siblings, and the commanders of the Azmin Guard would go into the Abyss to focus the formation and use its power to "sanitize" the abyss. They chose three subcommanders to lead the guard in protecting the Sibba continent and monitor realm fate maps.
When all was decided Rachel sat forward. "I want to apologize to you all. I have been on a private mission to avenge grandmother and I have caused harm to our realm." She held up her hand as she saw people wanting to protest and Shain smiling smugly.
"I am not saying that I do not have the realm's full support or that I want to step down as Milana. I am saying that I will change how I approach my duties. Also I feel we should have a Rulan ritual to make sure that the realm still sees me as the current Milana." Again she stopped protests.
"This is only so that the people living here…" She looked at Shain. "….and our dear brother can know with certainty that the realm still sees me as the Milana."
She stood and lifted her hands. She spoke in ancient Azmin as she lowered her arms to her sides.
The voice everyone heard was melodious and seemed to echo in their ears. "Milana, you call?"
"Yes. We will soon have a Rulan. Where will you like it to take place?"
There was silence and just as everyone felt there would be no reply the realm spoke again. "Why do you need a Rulan? You are Milana there is no need. You have done well. Balance will soon be restored and you even want to balance what I have forgotten. Many Milana before you have forgotten about my subconscious. This formation you habe created reads so much into the balance and it has purified what contaminated me."
"Some feel that a new Milana would be better."
"Stop Milana. I decide such things. You are young and need to learn more but you are the Milana and will be for a long time. There will be no Rulan. There is no need for it."
"You are being unreasonable. The people…"
"I am being unreasonable!?" the sky shook and then a sound like thunder was heard. Rachel smiled because she knew what that thunder like sound was.
"Fine. Fine."
The thunderous sound subsided. "when the time comes I will tell all that you are the Milana. I am much better now but I need more rest. When you have finished your task come to me with your Antrunie and we will talk."
There was silence and then Rachel burst into laughter. "I guess I truly am young and impetuous. I need to try harder."
Bre rolled his eyes. "You always leap before looking sister. To want to call a Rulan ritual before the realm says one is needed." He shook his head derisively.
Cer stood. "Everything is stable for now. We all need rest. Let us eat and sleep a day then we can start." He looked to Shain. "Rebecca can you leave your guard with Shain for a while longer?"
Everyone traced his line of sight but only Rebecca responded. "Of course Azalstin. They can stay with him indefinitely. The Milana feeds them not me."
The siblings, except Rachel, froze at the mention of Azalstin and they barely heard the rest of her comment.
Yanira smiled. "It has been a while since I have heard that word. Lady Rebecca is right to use it. All of you are Azalstin and we should all acknowledge that. Perhaps we asked for our realm to undergo all this because we neglected the old ways."
Rachel smiled. "I have a lot to think about. Call me when the food is ready." She rose from her seat and slowly walked away.
Everyone else stood when Rachel stood and none could take their eyes from her as she walked away.