Chapter 128: 127. Of summaries, chronologies and a little bit of future problems

Cassandra Pendragon

"That makes no sense," I blurted out. "None of it. I wasn't that stupid. I know as much. I wouldn't have been there to gloat, not without another reason. And why did you suddenly trust each other? You went from a fiery, last act of defiance to cooperation in the blink of an eye? I'm not buying it."

"You're not supposed to," he answered grumpily. "I withheld some information for the dramatic effect… would you just let me tell my story? Thank you. Anyways, now that the cat is out of the bag, it didn't go over quiet as smoothly. One, you weren't there to gloat, nor had you banked on us annihilating each other. You wanted to seal the void with us inside. You're mistake was getting caught while you worked your magic. As for angels and demons cooperating… it wasn't so hard, provided that Michael and his cronies had readily promised that they hadn't stolen from us. When the first streams of your magic raced across the realm, even the most moronic angel caught up. It was… humbling. Watching you hold your spells together while the forces of heaven and hell tore at you from all sides… you might have been an ass, but you were never a coward, I'll give you that. But in the end, even though we paid for it, you fell. And you were never supposed to rise again. Killing an immortal isn't impossible, as we all learned that day, it's just difficult. Really difficult. You were going to die that day, Cassandra, permanently. If it hadn't been for her," he nodded in Ahri's direction, "and my own trusting, gentle and brave nature, you would have." He exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.

"Aurora came to me, directly after the battle. I had never seen an angel as distraught as she was and she told me a story. A story about lies, misplaced trust and Corruption. A story I didn't fully understand and still don't but here is what she said. You weren't the misguided, corrupted fool every one thought you to be, no, the culprit was someone else, Michael. She told me that there was something she referred to as Corruption, something tangible, physical that could infect an immortal and change their essence, turn them into a mockery of what they had once stood for. She claimed that she had seen and been hunting for pieces of it for the longest time. She had thought that you had been infected, Michael had told her so. She hadn't believed him at first but when you had told her of your plans, she had begun to think. She hadn't been able to imagine that you'd even consider killing your brethren if something else hadn't changed you and then… well, there are your wings. They supposedly radiate the same power as the Corruption and she had been sure you had been consumed." He sighed.

"Only afterwards, when you had already been beaten, had she, that is you, Ahri, found out how wrong she had been. In his arrogance, Michael had made one mistake: he had used its power on one of their own, forcing him to burn his essence to curse the knights of hell, corrupting their rebirth. She had found out shortly after you had collapsed, Cassandra, and was desperate. While she had thought that she was fighting against it, she had helped remove the one obstacle Michael had feared and the man she loved, you." Another sigh.

"At first I didn't understand why she would even talk to me but she had a plan. The knights were gone, their rebirth tainted but I still held their cores and she wanted me to use them to save you. So I had a decision to make, trust her, possibly killing some of my friends in the process, or allow things to play out as they may. Frankly, under normal circumstances I'd have told her to shove her wings where the sun don't shine and piss off, but… I know you, Cassandra and one thing I didn't doubt: if you were willing to go to such lengths, you'd either truly have lost your marbles or there'd be a reason I could grudgingly respect. Her explanation fit, either you had been corrupted or other immortals had been. And then I remembered something Chaleb had said to me shortly before he had died. We had talked about you and a meeting between the two of you. He hadn't said much but his last words still rang in my ears. No, Mephisto. There isn't a force in this realm or another one that can turn him into something he is not. Never doubt that.

Had he known? Had the two of you collaborated to engineer the downfall of us immortals to prevent the Corruption from spreading? Had he warned me back then, that you weren't the one corrupted? I believed so and still do. I trusted him, he is… was my friend and at his say so, I was willing to take the risk. What more is there to say? I burned the cores to free you from the trap they had placed you in and you were reborn. The rest is history, as they say. And just so you know, I haven't regretted my decision. Now, there is still much I can tell you about hell and which demons might have gone crazy or which angels I suspect of having fallen, I'll indulge you later, if you want, but that part doesn't really matter until we either have a way to leave this backwater planet or we meet Amazeroth. By now I'm quite inclined to agree with you that he's somehow at the middle of it all. But there you have it. That's the story of how you died and I got here."

I was lost in thought when he finished, some of the pieces clicking together. Considering what Ahri had told me about her dreams, I knew that she hadn't lied to Mephisto back then. Amazeroth was most likely working against the corrupted immortals in his usual, ruthless fashion, I just didn't know what in hell he could possibly want to achieve. As far as I knew, everyone that was somewhat on the same side was stuck here, on this very planet and there was nothing we could do for the moment. Better yet, Ahri, Mephisto and I had lost most of our power and where nothing more than dead meat in a conflict with another immortal. And I knew he had created this situation in the first place, since he had suppressed Aurora's memories and her gnawing suspicions so she would play along.

From my point of view, he had repaired the broken watch by smashing it completely. What had he been thinking? "Let's steal most of their abilities form them and make them run around in circles, meanwhile fighting against a mortal I'm supporting. I'm sure everything will turn out much better in that case, spice it up with a little chaos, add a shaving of mortal peril and grief and voila, the recipe for a perfect Happy End." He wouldn't have gotten far as a cook, that much was certain.

Metaphors aside, I didn't really know how to feel. Somewhat glad that there at least seemed to be a reason for all the shit I had gone through, disgusted and angry at the stupidity of it all and the more than negligible differences between immortals and mortals when it came to power and… grateful. I wouldn't even have existed if it had happened any other way.

While I was brimming with different emotions, my core hadn't reacted and there was also no feeling of enlightenment like there had been every other time I had transformed naturally. Mephisto words hadn't been enough to trigger the change and from what I could see, Ahri wasn't engulfed in light or flames, either, nor was she sprouting another tail.

Absentmindedly I took a step closer to her and intertwined our tails. Despite everything I was happy that I had the chance to live, to breath, to love. Maybe that was it. Had I needed to die to appreciate life again? I didn't know and I wasn't going to find out now, that would have to wait until I finally came face to face with Amazeroth himself.

"Thanks," I said quietly. "Thanks to both of you." I kissed Ahri on the cheek and nodded towards Mephisto. "I owe you everything…"

"Save it," he replied grumpily while Ahri took my hand and squeezed it lightly. "If we hadn't been blind, or willing to listen, none of this would have happened. Kick your brother in the balls for me, once we get out of here, and we're even. I'm more curious as to what you've seen in your memories. Anything you'd like to add?"

"A bit. As far as I know, Aurora told you the truth. The corruption is real and in the beginning, Michael, Ezekiel, Ma'kal, Hora and Aurora knew about it, as well as Amazeroth, Lilith and Delilah." It was my turn to sigh. "I also suspect that it's not the first time we are confronted with it. It seems like something similar happened during the first war, you know, the one we can't remember. Also… I might have been infected back then, I don't really know, but whatever the Corruption truly is, I can control it to a certain degree. My wings… I've already relived the meeting with Chaleb you presumably referred to before. Delilah was… is a carrier most likely. Chaleb had cut off her horn and I was able to manipulate the energy within, even the transformed parts of it. A purer strain, he called it. There's… It's likely, at least I thought so when he told me. I haven't changed since I'm immune to magic but I still retained a connection to the source that allows me to influence everything that has sprung from it. Maybe even the corrupted immortals, which would also explain why Michael was so adamant about killing me. As to why… I'm not certain but I suspect that the war of the families you told me about back on Boseiju is linked to it as well. I'm only speculating but since Amazeroth is one of the few who retained their memories and he's been after Ahri's family for a while, I don't think it's too far of a stretch. Who knows, maybe both wars are one and the same… we didn't forget, our memories merely got altered, but I don't know, either way. That's one of the reasons I want to visit Ahri's family. If they can't tell us… there won't be a way to find out, until we meet Amazeroth. He must be able to explain how everything ties together and what idiotic scheme he's pursuing to allow the past to play out as it has, assuming he truly is as involved as I suspect. Which seems even more likely since he bound himself to Amon in an attempt to get out of another contract. So basically it all comes down to this: how do we stop an ancient sorcerer who has the lord of mirrors on a leash and seems hellbent on destroying our world?" I turned to Ignus.

"And how can we convince your people to help?"

He had been listening attentively, even the mead had been forgotten, but my question shook him out if his reverie. "I'm too old for this shit," he mumbled.

"What should I say, then? I've been ancient before your mother hatched from her egg. I'm not complaining either, am I?" Mephisto replied.

"You are, all the time," I quickly intervened before Ignus could reply. I focused on the dragon.

"But seriously, now that you've heard where we're coming from, what we are, what do you think we should do? Is there a chance we could convince the dragons to help us?"

"As a people? No. It doesn't work like that, we're not tied to a monarch or a council that could decide for dragon kind to go to war. What you can do is try to convince individuals… like me. In that regard, you've already had a good start, I'm just not completely convince that you aren't all moonstruck, but I'm getting there. You mostly don't seem like a bunch of raving lunatics… if I were in your place, I'd use the naming as an excuse. A new member of our society is a reason to gather, share stories, forge alliances… talk to them, see who might be convinced, bribed or intimidated into helping. Depending on how the ritual goes and who undertakes it, some are sure to be willing to listen. But I wouldn't bank on it. Warn the bipedal monarchs, get ahead of whatever is happening… you're a princess, are you not? Even if your kingdom has fallen, you must have friends out there somewhere. That's where I'd start. You mentioned before that your brood partner has family elsewhere. I saw two elves when I circled your camp and I'm sampling the most exquisite dwarven mead. Use what you have, if the dwarfs, elves and another tribe of kitsune agree to work with you, you'll have more than enough to handle anything but a full scale invasion." When he had mentioned the mead, he had leisurely filled his tankard and now he downed it in one go.

"You also need more information, about Amon, his plans, his resources… from what Viyara has told me it seems certain that he has a strong foothold around these islands. Infiltrate it, get to know your enemy better than you know yourself, if that's possible. There is also the Black One's death. You could try to reach out to his family, his friends. If they don't kill you on sight as the murderer of their sire, they might want revenge, if you manage to spin the tale in the right way. Which makes me think… Incidentally, if you want, I could also make sure that most dragons would attend the naming ceremony, wether it is yours or Viyara's. I could spread rumours of what you are, what she's becoming and you can rest assured, nearly everyone would follow my call, considering how close I am to Viyara and my own reputation. I could have them assembled in, let's say three months. You'd have your chance to speak with each one. But I'm not going to lie, mostly you'll either be disregarded as a young child that makes a fuzz over nothing or you'll be forced to pay dearly for any form of help. And I don't mean gold, but favours and promises. You might even be attacked or ambushed, if one dragon has submitted to Amon's will, others might have as well. If I spread the word, they'll be coming after you even faster, in case they can find you, that is." Mephisto scoffed.

"They won't. I've already been playing around with a couple of spells. They'll mask our trace and prevent scrying spells from working." He shrugged. "I thought that might become an issue soon and it seems like I was right. Once again."

"Are you keeping score?" I asked incredulously.

"Sure. Are you not?" He seemed at least as surprised as I was.

"No? That's… never mind, why did I even ask? So basically we're back to where we started. Find allies, keep an eye on Amon and keep our heads on our shoulders while we do it. As for the dragons… we have a small chance to convince a few of them, but only if we divulge who we are. Is that about right?" Ignus raised his tankard in my direction.

"Pretty much. Which brings us back full circle. I assume you still want to stay here, Viyara?"

"Yes. I… even though I have only been here for a short time, I already feel like I have a home here, with you." She had turned to Ahri and me. "I… I'd like to stay, if you would have me."

"That's a silly question, I already told you, we'd love to have you with us." I answered for both of us. "And he doesn't get a vote," I added in Mephisto's direction before he could butt in. For the first time in quite a while, my mom reacted and rubbed her head against my cheek. I took that as agreement and gratefully returned the gesture.

"Do you intend to forge a name for yourself? Either one of you," Ignus asked, including Ahri and me with a sweeping gesture.

"I don't know," Viyara answered hesitantly. "How likely is it, that I will truly be hunted for what I am? Is my blood really that important?"

"It's not only your blood, but you," the old dragon replied. "The secret of how to have draconic offspring with another species rests within you, I don't even know it in its entirety. I've provided much of the necessary knowledge, but the only one who can lead us to the whole truth is you. For us, that's much more important and a war between lesser species, maybe even more so than that you've met an immortal and what she's done to you. Even if it's known that you're protected by either me or an angel, your guardian will have to fight many duels before it sinks in that you're out of bounds. You're valuable enough that many will risk death to get their claws on you."