Quora felt herself floating through a cloudy heaven. She dared look down and could see evidence of land below, but the cloud cover was enough to obscure any details. Before her floated a girl no older than ten summers of age with silken black hair and dark eyes. Strikingly, the girl was powerfully muscled, evidenced by her black skin-tight outfit covering every part except her head. A dark centipede larger than a housecat was coiled around her neck and arms. She stared at Quora menacingly.

"What is this place?" demanded Quora of the child, "What sort of trick is this?"

The girl asked in a monotone voice, "Are you the next claimant?"

This aided Quora's confusion little, "I am Qorrametz. I would claim this thing's power, but first, I want answers. I want to know why this thing drove my friend mad, and why it filled his mind with visions of doom."

The girl shook her head, her expression unmoving, "You must find those answers yourself in the land below," the girl put her hand to her chest, "I am Arlys, one of three Therion you will meet. Once you understand our purpose, then the next claimant shall be decided."

Quora glowered, "I'm not playing your games, child."

"This is no game," Arlys stated, "I know of your desire for ruin, and commend your efforts to speed up this world's demise. However, as has our current claimant, you will inevitably reach a standstill without my guidance. This world is in pain, and it is because of this..."

Arlys conjured a mote of pale blue light in her hand: magick.

"It saturates this land and causes unspeakable damage," said Arlys, "Its people already do not fear their natural predators, and this energy has been turned to their convenience. They will wither and falter in complacency. Reality itself has started to fray, other worlds are even starting to merge with this one. You have witnessed Yggdramor and its natureless denizens exist only because of magick. They do not belong in this world, nor do they belong anywhere. Or the Netherworld, a place where the living can meet the dead. It is a perversion of life's laws, and those, too, will start to fade. Only chaos will remain, and the world will be beyond saving."

Arlys pointed downward, "Descend, claimant. Meet my fellow Therion and learn their perspectives, and make your choice."

Quora looked down, and then back at Arlys. She started to descend when Arlys's form blinked away. She heard Arlys's voice in her mind.

Are you willing to destroy the last thing you love?

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Through the clouds, Quora descended, and the sight of rooftops appeared. Farther still, and the city she was landing in was all too familiar to Quora. It had the exact layout as Dreamford, but the rooftops on the castle were done in red. The lamps that lined Dreamford were absent, the guards that patrolled its streets wore dark armour and held axes, and something about the buildings made them seem archaic in design. The banners stuck out most to Quora, golden dragon on purple field.

"This is Karst...The Old Kingdom."

Quora landed softly in the streets, and none of the bustling citizens took notice that a woman had just come down from the sky. The people of Karst were quieter and seemed to have a morose air about them. As they passed Quora, they kept their heads down. They quickened their pace when they approached one of the imposing guards, who adorned their armour with spikes. Beneath their helms, Quora saw bulging eyes, scanning the people for any sign of disturbance. She was on her way to the castle when she saw a peculiar scene. A man and a woman Quora presumed to be his wife were standing before a group of unsavoury men. The two appeared to be showing something to the latter, who had a look of wonderment on their scarred faces.

The man proudly displayed a bundle of cloth to the others. He undid the bundle as he said, "Boys, meet our son."

The men were in awe, remarking on how similar he looked to his father. Quora approached the father, and he seemed to regard her presence. He smiled and presented the baby to her.

"Want to hold him?"

The father let Quora hold the baby. She felt a moment of anxiety as he passed the baby to her, but it faded in an instant as she held the bundle in her arms. She looked down at the bewildered child and felt something she had never felt before: content. She could hold this child forever.

One of the men asked, "Does he got a name, boss?"

The parents smiled. The father replied, "He sure does. It wasn't easy, but we settled on Eramus."

The name shot through Quora like an arrow. She stared at the innocent face of the child who would grow into a man she would force into her service as the greatest thief in Aveldan. The child Eramus grinned and burbled at her. She gently pulled back on the hood of his blanket and brought his forehead to her lips.

"Eramus, eh?" one of the men said, "Three cheers for Eramus, boys! Eramu...s! Er...a...!"

The people in the scene flickered and disappeared. Quora stared at her empty arms, fearing she had dropped Eramus. The men, the parents, and Eramus had vanished without a trace. Quora felt sorrowful.

This place is wrought from memory, said the voice of Arlys in Quora's mind. Its people are thinly made constructs. They seem real enough but will unravel when paid too much heed.

"I've been here before..." said Quora, "Could these be my memories?"

Arlys didn't respond.

Sighing, Quora pressed on to the castle. The guards eyed her warily but made no effort to stop her from passing through its gates.

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The castle had barely changed when compared to the present. The only notable differences were the torches that kept the place lit and the banners that denoted who held this place. A realization bit into the back of Quora's mind the further inside she went, a realization of who ruled this place, and who this other 'claimant' might be. She came to the massive doors to the throne room, flanked by two guards. She paid them no heed and pushed the doors open herself. The guards didn't react.

Quora came to a striking sight. A massive orb of strange power floated in the middle of the throne room. Two children who wore the same outfit as Arlys seemed to be interacting with the orb. One wore white, the other grey.

"Alright, here goes..." the grey-adorned child said. He was a boy with tan skin and short white hair. He raised his hands to the orb, and the vision of great plants appeared in the orb. The plants grew out of control, threatening to consume the orb in green.

"Okay, my turn..." said the white-adorned child, a curly blonde-haired girl. She raised her hands, and rabbits appeared inside the orb. They ate the green plants, their numbers multiplying. The rabbits ate until there were no more plants. With nothing to eat, the rabbits died and disappeared, leaving the orb empty as it was before.

"Oh, not again!" exclaimed the girl, "This always happens..."

The boy scratched his head, "Your concept breeds awfully fast. Maybe we could try less of them?"

The children raised their arms again, and the same scene played out. Greenery threatened to consume the orb, and rabbits that multiplied slower appeared and ate the plants. Balance was achieved for a moment, but the number of rabbits grew and overtook the plants again. The rabbits died, and the orb was empty once more. Quora approached the orb, and the two children noticed her.

"Hi!" said the girl, waving to Quora.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting this," said the boy. He called toward the throne, "It's a visitor!"

"A visitor, eh?" said a man's voice, "Well, if it weren't for this darned orb..."

Anxiety filled Quora's chest when she heard the voice; she recognized it but couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"...I wouldn't have to get to up to see..." the man who came around the orb balked when he saw Quora. He was rotund, with deep laugh lines on his cheeks and grey sideburns. He wore the livery of a king but was missing his crown. His slits for eyes couldn't conceal the flash of violet that came from beneath them.

"...Qorrametz?"

It was as if one of her fondest memories had come to life. Quora felt tears of joy behind her eyes, "Fafnarok!!!"

She rushed to the king with arms outstretched. She didn't hear his murmur of warning before she passed through his body, nearly losing her balance. She looked at her empty arms and then back at Fafnir, "...Is any of this place real?"

He laughed nervously, "I have some explaining to do, huh?"

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Fafnir told Quora of the outcome of his battle with Dreamford decades ago. While it was true that Dreamford used a terrible spell to send Fafnir to the Netherworld, he didn't succeed in sending all of Fafnir there. He had unwittingly established a bond with the Bloodstar and the Therion inhabiting it. When Fafnir's body was parted from the living world, the Bloodstar drew in his soul.

"I can't ever leave, mind you," said Fafnir, "If I ever did, I'd zip straight to the Netherworld and back in my body. I'm technically alive, but the Netherworld's no place for the living. My body's been festering so long; the pain would be unimaginable. So, here I've been, and I can't say I want to leave."

Quora was smiling, content to be with Fafnir again, even if he wasn't all there. The two children had joined her in listening to him explain his state. By their clothing, Quora looked down at each of them and could only assume they were the other two Therion.

"Who are they, Fafnarok?" asked Quora.

Fafnir pointed at the girl, "That one's Cybele and her domain is plenty," he pointed at the boy, "Attis, stability."

Quora tilted her head, "Domains?"

"Right," said Fafnir, "When a claimant appears, they'll have to choose one of the Therion to side with. It dictates what the Bloodstar will do when its Monstrance is activated, which would profoundly affect the world in the chosen Therion's design: a new world. Cybele would fill the world with life, and Attis would ensure a form of balance."

Quora nodded, "And what about Arlys?"

Fafnir gulped, and the other two Therion seemed to share his sentiment, "We haven't seen her in a while. We drove her away. We want to build a world without conflict - Arlys's domain is scarcity, and conflict is all she promises."

Quora eyed the great orb and determined its purpose was to put their theories of a new world into practice. She wondered how many times their concept had failed.

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"There aren't any predators in your tests," said Quora, "Just plants and a horde of...things eating themselves to death."

Fafnir shook his head, "That's the world without Arlys's input. We'll make it work."

Quora raised her hand to the orb and focused her mind. A collection of smooth stones appeared in the orb.

"There's your new world," said Quora, "They do not need to eat. Nothing is fought over. They can exist as cold stones."

Fafnir rested his head in his hand, "Not quite what we're looking for, but we appreciate the..." he looked at Attis and Cybele, "Hey, what's wrong? You two have been awfully quiet."

The two Therion stood erect and unmoving, their eyes pulled wide.

"They were like this when you dropped in," said Fafnir, "...Uh, oh."

Attis and Cybele spoke in unison, "Another claimant has appeared."

Quora and Fafnir shared a knowing glance. Quora gave a curt nod before she sped out of the throne room. Fafnir went to Cybele and put a hand on her shoulder.

"This is about to get complicated."

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Quora rushed through the streets of Karst, passing through crowds of memory constructs. It was an easy affair to locate the third claimant, as none of the memory constructs gave off any scent. She rounded a corner and came face to face with two people. Quora conjured a blade of magick, and one of the other claimants drew his smallsword.

It was King Dreamford, and younger man dressed in a dark dress suit. He wore round spectacles, and his dark brown hair was tied back in a thin ponytail. Upon his chest was a silver brooch of a hippocampus. He kept well back from Quora and Dreamford.

"I knew I'd find you here," said Dreamford. He sheathed his smallsword, "Stand down, I've no wish to fight you."

Quora let her magick blade dissipate, "Don't you have a kingdom to rebuild?"

"Already resolved to the best of my ability," stated Dreamford, "You've been here longer than you think."

Quora eyed the younger man and sharply sniffed, "...Cyrus."

Cyrus stepped forward, "No use hiding it from you. This place appears to have restored my youth, though I'm not sure why."

"Isn't it obvious?" Quora asked. She spun, arms outstretched, "This is Karst, Fafnir's kingdom! I have fond memories of this place."

Dreamford and Cyrus looked at each other, perplexed. Cyrus said, "Quora, Karst looked nothing like this. It was a dark place of blackened steel and smoke."

Quora was taken aback at this alleged correction. She thought of how brutal Karst's guards appeared and wondered if they weren't out of place. She shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. This is Karst. I don't remember it being any different."

Dreamford had his hand to his chin, pensive. He cautiously approached Quora, "Qorrametz, I have a theory. May I?"

Quora's brow furrowed, suspicious of Dreamford's intentions. At the same time, she was curious, "...Try anything funny, and I'll strangle you with each other's entrails."

"I wouldn't doubt it, Qorrametz," said Dreamford, grinning. He brought his hands to Quora's head and started enacting a spell. She felt small jolts like static electricity in her head, but then the jolts began to feel deeper. She felt like something in her mind was giving way. Suddenly, Karst briefly shifted from a bright reflection of Dreamford to a dark place covered in smoke, screams echoing through the streets. Quora panicked and pulled herself away.

"What did you see?" asked Dreamford.

"...Clearly," replied Quora, "I saw clearly."

She took Dreamford by the wrists and put his hands on her head, "Keep...Keep going."

Dreamford nodded and continued his spell. The jolting went deeper into her mind, and more of the guise covering Karst was peeled away. She felt a fog being cleared from her mind, one that had persisted for so long that she had been desensitized to it. When Dreamford was done, Quora realized she had next to no memories of Karst, save for the ones involving Moonfang. Indeed, her first memory of Fafnir and Dreamford was from when she attacked Myrellia. Quora was trembling - she had thought the world of a total stranger.

"Dremfrrdon..." Quora muttered, falling to her knees to the sound of screams in the distance, "D-Dremfrrdon, what's happening?"

"I knew it," Dreamford concluded, "Fafnarok has been here, fabricating memories from within the Bloodstone, and implanting them in you. It would explain your unreasonable disdain for me."

Quora buried her face in her hands and sobbed, "So it...all lies..."

"Qorrametz, do you realize we did not know you even existed before you appeared at Myrellia?" said Dreamford, "Fafnarok and I were driven to act. We thought cursing you into a human shape would be enough, but it was never enough for my brother."

Quora looked up to Dreamford, "...Did we ever love each other?"

Dreamford's expression became grim, "...We did. When I went to fight Fafnarok, he masterfully deployed the memory that I had used you to avoid you getting involved. In truth, you were in a deep slumber at the time," he grinned weakly, "Rousing you then would have ensured my death."

All the horrible things Quora had said to Dreamford, all the awful ways she had treated him, were flooding back to her. Her refusal to aid in preserving dragonkind seemed so petty. All the damage she had done to his life, she knew there could be no going back. Killing Cordelia had been the step too far, and it pained her that, at the time, she hadn't thought twice about it.

Quora gathered enough of her wits to stand, "...We're going to the castle."

Dreamford nodded, "Lead the way, Qorrametz."

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The inside of the true Castle Karst was a dreadful place. The torches burned red; chains lined the walls with dead prisoners tangled among them. The purple banners were instead made from flesh, with a black dragon rampant branded onto them. The stench of the place was overwhelming. The three came to the great doors to the throne room.

"Go, Cyrus," said Dreamford, "You knew the old castle better than I did, see if you can find anything of use. This battle is for Quora and I."

"Of course, sire," said Cyrus. He looked to Quora and said, "I led you to Yggdramor thinking I could get rid of you. For that, I apologize. We Scions were not privy to Fafnir's manipulations..."

Quora glowered at Cyrus, "...Whatever. Just go."

Cyrus bowed and rushed elsewhere into the castle. Quora and Dreamford looked at each other. Quora conjured a blade of magick, and Dreamford drew his smallsword. They both put a hand on the great doors and pushed into the throne room.

This battle will change everything...

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The throne room was monstrous. More of the flesh banner hung down, and along the flanks of the hall played scenes of guards whipping undeserving constructs bloody. The great orb where Attis and Cybele practiced their craft was gone. A great stack of cushions was piled where the throne should be. Attis and Cybele were gagged and tethered to chains that led to King Fafnir's hand, his rotund form splayed upon the cushions. The once friendly-looking king's true visage was revealed: a sadist with bulging eyes and a ghastly smile that nearly reached his ears. He yanked on the chains and forced the two Therion to attention.

"Behold the third claimant: my traitorous wretch of a brother!" guffawed Fafnir. His voice had lost its kind cadence with Quora, now loud and haggard, "Kind of you to bring him to me, Qorrametz. You get the first pick of where we might flay him for that!"

Enough!

Arlys's voice boomed through the throne room before she appeared in a flare of black energy. She flicked her wrists and broke the chains tethering Attis and Cybele, and the three gathered in the middle of the throne room. Arlys spoke, "The Bloodstar has remained dormant for too long. Fight now, your dispute will never end, and us Therion will be forced to release our power, purging this world of life and turning it into a barren desert."

Dreamford stepped forward, "Then I exercise my place as this 'third claimant.' What must I do?"

"Us Therion represent three fates for this world. You must choose one of us," explained Arlys, "Cybele will revitalize the land and fill the world with life. Attis will sustain the world in its current state. I, Arlys, will bring ruin to this world and initiate a rebirth."

Dreamford nodded, "I have come to love the world and its people. Every day, I learn something new about governance...and the value of family. I choose Attis."

Attis vanished and then appeared next to Dreamford. The boy smiled at the king.

"First claimant," declared Arlys, "Make your choice."

Fafnir guffawed madly, "I choose Cybele! When her power fills the world, I will live again, free to conquer it all once more!"

Cybele tried to grab onto Arlys when she vanished and appeared next to Fafnir. A look of despair filled the girl's face.

Arlys looked at Quora expectantly, "Second claimant. Will you persist on this path?"

Quora gave a pained look to the other claimants, "I have travelled this world, met many people, and saw their glories for myself," her expression turned dark, "But I have seen their follies, too. They are uncountable. The people of this world are incorrigible. They do not deserve the lives they have. Everyone I've known has tried to exploit, lie, and use me. My whole life has been lies. I once lived as a mindless beast, and now I am a beast that knows what must be done." she felt the look of disbelief Dreamford gave her, but she was unbowed, "This is who I am...I choose Arlys."

The Therion disappeared. Their presence appeared as auras around their respective claimants.

"We will not interfere," said the voices of all three Therion in unison, "Prove your devotion to your ideals through battle - whoever is left standing is in the right. Death here will see the claimant expelled from the Bloodstar unharmed."

"Begin!"

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Dreamford immediately cast a binding spell on Quora, shackling her legs with magickal chains. While she worked to free herself, Dreamford charged toward Fafnir, who was darkly laughing as he conjured a three-headed flail. The mad king swung his flail and entangled Dreamford's weapon, tearing it from his hands and tossing it aside. He swung again, his weapon's heads biting into Dreamford and sending him flying to the floor. As Dreamford tried to pick himself up, Fafnir cackled and whipped his flail into Dreamford's back. The king keeled over, muttering in pain as he was whipped.

"Oh yes!" Fafnir taunted, "Never a truer picture of the world you want!"

Fafnir felt a presence hurtling towards him. He grinned and whipped his flail around to catch Quora unawares - if only she hadn't let her human form slip into a beastly brute. Fafnir's flail bounced off her thick scaly flesh harmlessly. She tore into the mad king with a gnarled claw, sending him spinning to the floor. She seized Fafnir and smashed his face into a nearby pillar, pulverizing the stone and causing a section of the ceiling to collapse, sending chunks of brick and mortar raining down. Quora hefted Fafnir over her head and let him take the brunt of the destruction before tossing away his broken body. She turned to Dreamford, only to see a flash of pale blue before Dreamford's spell blasted her and threw her smoking body against a wall.

Fafnir rose to his feet, his eyes flaring violet and his teeth sharp, "You always did like it rough, didn't you, Qorrametz?!"

Fafnir conjured a gigantic ball of flame. He reared back to hurl it at Quora, only to have the spell short out with a fizzle of sparks. He looked at Dreamford, who was smirking. Fafnir roared and readied another spell for it to be countered as well. Dreamford hurled explosive bursts of magick at Fafnir, raining destruction on the mad king. The latter shoved his way through the barrage and landed a savage punch to Dreamford's gut. As Dreamford keeled forward, Fafnir grabbed his brother by the throat.

"What are you doing, fool?!" Fafnir seethed, "She's going to murder us both!"

Dreamford's hands glowed pale blue. He grinned widely, "Better than a world where you exist."

Dreamford drove his magicked thumbs deep into Fafnir's eyes. The mad king howled in pain and drove Dreamford's skull into a nearby pillar with a sickening crunch. His eyes smoked, burned out by the magicks. A ray of orange fire shot past his face, and then another landed directly on his chest. Quora drove her rays of flame into Fafnir, eating through his flesh and threatening to burn away his heart.

"No!!!" Fafnir shouted, "I won't die like this!"

Quora grinned wickedly, "Then how about like this?"

She picked up Dreamford's smallsword and drove it deeply into the mad king's chest. The mad king started to twitch and shake, his body flickering and fading from existence.

"You will all burn!" screamed Fafnir, "Brother, when next we meet, we will die together upon the ashes of your kingdom!"

Fafnir was gone. Dreamford's smallsword clattered to the floor. A relieved Cybele manifested from the white aura he left behind. Quora rushed to Dreamford's side and held his head in her hand. He stared blankly at her, his wounds too grave.

"Well...this is where we are...now," Dreamford breathed, "...now...Cyrus..."

A loud crack rang out, and Quora felt a bite of hot magick in her back. She stared down at Dreamford and watched him die before her world went black.

Cyrus stood, a smoking fusil in his hand. He shook his head as he and his lord flickered and vanished, "We've little time left, it seems."

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Quora awoke a short time later to the memories-built kingdom crumbling and falling apart. The Therion surrounded her, with Cybele kneeling over her. She smiled, "That'll do it."

Arlys loomed over Quora, "You have succeeded, but we have a problem. It seems the third claimant is attempting to destroy this stone by draining its magick. Only when we resolve this can we move on to the next step."

"Send me out of here, Arlys," said Quora, grinning weakly, "I will handle it."

Arlys touched her hand to Quora's head. As she flickered out of the Bloodstar, Arlys lent knowledge of a new spell to Quora that could destroy memory.

"Handle it as I deem necessary, claimant," said Arlys.

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Quora came bursting out from the Bloodstar with her magicked blade in hand. Dreamford had no time to react when she came within arm's reach of him and seized him by the head. Yellow lightning crackled around her hand and into his head.

"I killed her, Dremfrrdon," said Quora sadistically, "Before you forget everything you saw in the Bloodstar, I wanted you to know it was me."

"You...!!!" Dreamford tried to scream before he collapsed, unconscious. She turned her gaze next to Cyrus, his old age returned to him. He backed away and fell on his behind.

"You betrayed Fafnir, tried to get me killed by Orion, and now you shoot me in the back?" Quora tutted, "Such a treacherous worm."

There would be no escape for Cyrus. Quora seized him by the head and worked the same spell she did for Dreamford. Yellow lightning flowed into his head from her hand, but something told her it wasn't enough. She poured more power into her spell, and it made the arcs of yellow lightning grow massive. Cyrus was trembling slightly, his head smoking when she was done. He was still alive, but his gaze stared a thousand kilometres into nowhere. Quora forced her hands through Cyrus's pockets and retrieved his journal. She took the Bloodstar staff into her hand. With the prophecies and their extrapolated theories on their meaning in one hand, and the powers to initiate their events in the other, Quora laughed. The mania behind her laughter grew to a climax.

"And so does a world bid farewell!"