1000 cycles prior.

Theda was sick of being trapped. It didn't help her situation at all but she found that complaining into the empty meaningless void that encompassed her surroundings was a great pastime. So that's what she did.

'Stupid Aero-nymphs and their dumb tracking abilities, I mean how did they even find me?!' She whined, drifting aimlessly. 'I knew I should have wiped out their species when I had the chance.'

Despite not being there for long, the spirit had pieced together that she had been sealed in some sort of ancient artefact, but hadn't a clue how they had managed to do it. However she wasn't overly worried, one of the higher beings would be there shortly to break her out of it.

So with not much else to do she was content with just imagining how she would eviscerate all the idiots who tried to stop her. Theda closed her eyes, smiling languidly as she dreamed of wringing all their necks.

No sooner had she settled into a comfortable enough position lying down a giant pillar of light burned itself into existence not to far from where she lay. Emerging from the rapidly dissipating pillar was a freakishly large humanoid suit of medieval crimson armour. Where the eye slits of the helmet lay on a regular piece was instead covered by a large beige blindfold which flowed for miles behind the figure. Emblazoned on the cloth were countless maps of civilisations long lost.

'The Journeyman, or should I say Jasiah?' Theda said cheerily, 'Come to set me free have you? where's the rest of my buddies?'

'Gone.' The crimson figure stated, his voice seemed more detached and robotic than the spirit was used to hearing, 'They couldn't bring themselves to do what I must.'

'And what would that be?' she asked nonchalantly.

'That we are not letting you out.' The Journeyman replied gravely, as he approached her position.

'Pursuing a career in comedy are we?' Theda responded chuckling slightly, 'Never took you as the type, I always pegged you as the humourless brick wall.'

'Will you stop joking for two minutes Archangel.' Jasiah spoke, his voice raising with every syllable.

That was odd, nobody ever used her title before. The spirit then attempted to sit up awkwardly to get a better look at the man who had approached her, and what she found was disturbing to say the least. The constantly firm and proud posture of her friend looked as if it were sagging under an invisible weight, his hands were clasped together tightly almost as if in prayer.

'You alright there Jas? you look like you just got divorced' Theda muttered reaching out to grab his arm to which he flinched away.

'I'm sorry Theda' The journeyman spoke, his voice back to a firm but quiet tone, 'You simply went too far this time.'

'Too far...?' the spirit echoed in disbelief, 'Jas you saw what they were doing didn't you? they were using you, demanding that you sacrifice your power in order to help them fuel their own selfish goals.'

'It was a mutual contract signed by both parties willingly.' Jasiah retorted, 'I don't understand Theda why can't you see it? For once since our conception higher beings are actually able to interact with the universe, to actually change things for the better.'

'It's upsetting the natural order!' the spirit squawked in outrage, 'What is wrong with you!?'

'I'm perfectly sane! You're the one whose projecting your own insecurities onto the situation!' The Journeyman shouted angrily. Raising a fist in exasperation before slowly bringing it back down in shock at his own words.

A knife wouldn't be sharp enough to cut through the thick tension that lay between the two, Theda was practically shaking in anger and confusion, what had happened to her friend for him to act like that? If it was that damned human she would make sure he payed for it.

'What are you trying to say?' the spirit finally managed to say, seething internally.

'That maybe it would be best if we left you alone for a while.' The crimson figure stated coldly, 'To reflect on your actions.' he then turned sharply to face the open field of darkness which lay ahead of him.

'You...You...can't do this.' Theda mumbled her voice breaking, 'I thought...I...why Jas? I was only trying to help.'

Jasiah shook his head sadly, 'You still don't get it do you? We never wanted your help, and I'm sorry that things had to end this way.'

Then in another pillar of burning light he was gone. And the spirit was left to stew in her own misery.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The time that passed was not pleasant. Over and over again she tried to use her powers to break the confinements she lay in only to feel them slowly ebb away, eaten up by the infinite void that she lay in. It wasn't long before she could barely move, a husk of her former self.

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At first she questioned whether this was just an elaborate prank being played. She had gotten Jas an unsolvable everchanging treasure map as a gift some time ago, maybe he was still mad about that whole debacle?

But to her question all she received was silence.

After realising that she was most likely stuck for the time being with no rescue in sight she became devoured by her own thoughts and feelings. Reviewing all the memories of what she had done left a sour taste in her mouth. There was no such thing as black and white in life, only a constant moral grey. All she had done was choose the lesser evil, to pick the only option which wouldn't result in corruption.

'I'm not some sort of movie villain.' She thought annoyed, 'I've seen what humanity is capable of, they are the word backstab personified, how could I leave my friends in the hands of those that only ever think of their own benefits.'

Rage ripped through her like a fierce tidal wave, the people who made contracts with higher beings could make all the promises they wanted but there would always be a rotten egg that ruined the batch. Why couldn't Jasiah see that interacting with them would only ever bring more harm than good? That a lifetime's worth of good intentions could always and would always be ruined by a fool on a power trip.

She shouted and punched and kicked and screamed but all she ever received was silence.

Eventually she had lost track of the time that she had been counting, Theda had long since grown desperate and could only sit in fear as she wondered when insanity would begin to set in. If she weren't already dead she might have attempted to take her own life.

She settled by making deals with various figures that didn't exist. Making up characters with the power to do whatever they pleased and their backstories, she would beg them to take her out, that she would do anything to not be alone for a second longer. Eventually she couldn't even make proper conversation, her words twisting themselves into unintelligible garbage.

It was when she had turned to wallow in her own self pity and remorse that the spirit finally stopped thinking altogether. She simply looked up before staring blankly at the ever stretching expanse of darkness and let herself drift into a fugue state of semi-consciousness.

An untold amount of time passed after that, Theda saw hallucinations of all her friends as they moved on without her. The people that she had considered her family. Abandoning her.

Cracks began to form in her surroundings, but she payed them no mind. Most likely another coma induced fantasy of her prison breaking apart. However the larger they spread the more strange she felt.

Space bent and twisted around her, as her body entered a state of shock after being exposed to external stimuli for the first time in a very long time. Then with a simple pop she scattered.

She felt her soul being shredded into a million pieces only to be pulled together and rebuilt. The spirit almost wailed in agony until she felt something odd next to her, it was another being. The first of which she had seen in some time.

It was a human man, he was pale and shaking covering what appeared to be a large wound over his right shoulder. For a moment Theda was elated, who cared how she managed to get out, she finally somebody she could talk to after being secluded for so long.

The ghost attempted to pull herself together but after so long without being able to exert herself she found the process slow and excruciating. Not to mention that whatever had broken her out had also tied her soul to the artefact which had kept her trapped, making it harder for her to appear. Slowly but painfully she managed to gain enough control over her own body to speak a sentence.

Thousands of thoughts rushed through her brain, she needed to be casual and not too overbearing. Despite being starved for contact she still had enough self-control not to scare off the first person she met, so she racked her mind for a good opener. Theda knew that she had to be friendly but not overly so, she also had to try and get some information but she didn't want to sound ungrateful if this was indeed the person who had helped her out.

Although, judging by the look on his shocked face it didn't seem that way.

'Be composed, be composed, be composed.' The spirit chanted to herself before taking a deep breath.

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Theda was now watching a snoozing Palm rest his head against the window of the Mercy express train as it travelled up the Layers of the city Theda sat beside him in quiet contemplation.

She had gotten to know him well enough and felt as though he deserved better than he had, as did many of the people in Checkmate. Despite her still lingering hatred for humanity it had been been almost completely worn away by all the cycles of inactivity which she had endured. For as much as she despised what the higher beings had done to her they were still successful in their task, the roaring flame of anger had long since become barely a cinder.

But it was still there, and would rear it's ugly head every time she saw just what people were capable of. It was especially prevalent during the armed robbery that had occurred in the bar some time ago, stoking the cold embers.

At least the barkeeper himself was spared of her wrath. He had all reason to throw her away, due to the spirit's unwillingness to share information and suspicious nature, but he hadn't. Palm had been the first person she spoke to as soon as she had been unsealed and had given her the benefit of the doubt more times than she could count.

Their relationship wasn't perfect by any means, but it made Theda happy to have somebody who actually listened when she spoke. It helped to stop her from spiralling in those scant few moments she was alone for too long.

A part of her had died in the cold empty abyss that she was a prisoner of, and the shadow of insanity loomed over the spirit every time she thought about it for too long. It was ironic considering that she was running from her fears while the barkeeper was facing his. Maybe a small part of her hoped that once she helped him he would return the favour.

Shaking herself out of her stupor she turned her attention to the cube which sat silently in the pocket of the unconscious barkeeper. Earlier when she had first arrived at the police station in Verdante she had sensed a wave of energy, one that was suspiciously close to her old associate Solaris. Or more accurately known as 'The Scale-tipper'. An Icon of Justice and divine retribution.

It scared her to think that maybe they had discovered that she had managed to escape her confinement. That maybe they were back to lock her up, however the energy was much weaker than what Solaris would normally output just by being in the same room as her. So she figured it must have been one of her creations.

Despite her best efforts at subtly leading Palm away from the creation he still wound up picking it up regardless. It would be better for him in terms of protection but the spirit felt a constant nervousness under it's watchful eye. Only time would tell what would happen.

So as Theda watched the rush of colours that blurred past her from the train's window, she was met with silence once more.

But this time, it wasn't so bad.