The footsteps that followed after the guard were that off their King and Queen who had come to personally strike down the wicked and evil queen only for them to notice that someone beat them to it. They Snow Queen looked down in thought only to notice something unusual moving over the ground and through the very drainage of the throne room. She turned her head and nudged it forward to gesture for her guard to investigate while she would proceed to investigate the rest of the imperial chambers. As for my fate, well, after everything I’ve been through? I didn’t know my place in the world anymore or where I even belonged. When the Snow Queen opened one of the doors leading into the hallway, she approached the master bedroom of the imperial chambers. She then opened the doors only to stop upon noticing what appeared to be snow that gathered from the outside and a manifestation of water gathering beside my father, now a golden statue, who was lying in his bed. I took on my original form again and upon doing so no force in the world would be able to distract me in those final moments. I stared down at my father with tears pouring down from my eyes and the Snow Queen stood where she was, lowering her head down for she knew that I was grieving for the father I had lost all those years ago.

“I didn’t choose to be this.”, I said and the Snow Queen acknowledged my statement. “I know.”, she replied and I broke down in tears as she remained standing behind me.

I then wiped the tears from my eyes and held them in the palm of my hand before I reached down to my father’s chest, placing the frozen tears over his body. I leaned forth, lowering down and kissing his forehead before I would lean my own against his. I then patted his arms with my own hands and got up to stand as I turned to face her, and there she was. She had long white hair with the right side partially being ebony in color like mine and her lips were red as the rose. She had green eyes while her entire robe was white with black metal clad armor fabricated within it.

“Take care of him, won’t you?”, I asked and she smiled, nodding her head. “I will.”, she replied. “And the Kingdom…”, I added and she nodded her head yet again. “I promise.”, she replied.

“And should you one day choose to come back home, the doors to your kingdom shall always be open to and for you, dearest Svetlana.”, she said these words to me while I walked over to the window and gazed through them to see the Snow Queen’s Army at the very gates of Sineru.

“I don’t want the crown and the kingdom.”, I stated and the Snow Queen smiled. “Then we will manage without you.”, she implied before taking a few steps forward. “But that does not mean that the doors will not be open to you and for you whenever you wish to visit us.”, she explained.

I then turned to face her and saw the smile on her face before she would approach me with her arms spread. She gave me a hug and it wasn’t one of warmth but rather cold that was fitting for me. I held her in my arms and she held me in hers, and for the first time after a long time I felt love again even though it was cold, it was love she showed in her own way. She then leaned back while holding me with her hands and looking at me with love in her eyes. She smiled and then stepped back before crossing her hands together, bowing her head and I clenched my teeth together before one last tear formed in my eye that I tried to hide as my body disintegrated in front of her. My spirit and body of water moved through the air in the form of another snow storm that flew away peacefully from the kingdom that I saved. Every soldier marveled at what they saw and they looked up to the skies with pride, with hope, with appreciation for who I am. Meanwhile, on another world far, far away from our own…

“Oh, Big Jack Horner…”, said Elina Frostclaw, who was finishing her plum pie. “How I am going to miss your plum pies…”, she seemed to be mourning in her own way.

“Oh, please…”, Bloody Mary said while eating another pie. “He was a big dumb henchman who was boring and died boring. Good riddance, I say.”, she continued eating her pie and Elina just stared at her with a cold look in her eyes, an emotionless and lifeless one.

Bloody Mary looked up and for the first time the sorceress felt fear. Her body felt a pain unlike any other that was worse than the molten lava she melted in when I threw in it. She stood where she was with a smile on her face but she could not move and she could barely breathe. It was then that her body started to engulf in flame and the inside of her body began to glow in flames as she was being scorched and incinerated from within while a servant walked in.

“Lady Frostclaw…”, the servant of the Bloodstone Tribe bowed while staring uncomfortably at Bloody Mary, whom he noticed was being tortured for her soul was bound to Elina’s scythe that served as a phylactery, a home, to the soul of the vile and psychopathic diabolical sorceress.

“Is this a bad time?”, the servant asked before Bloody Mary was then released and gasped for air, and Elina Frostclaw then waved her right claw for the servant to proceed. “We’ve completed the new body that you’ve requested to be made for Lady Pharon. Should we bring it in?”, the servant asked before he heard a few footsteps behind him and saw the replicated body of Naomi present.

“No need.”, said Naomi, who lifted her right hand only to see it was that of the Hand of Midas. “It seems my soul has found its way to my new body.”, she smiled while staring towards Elina.

“My apologizes, Elina, I meant no disrespect.”, said Bloody Mary and then Elina looked at her with an angry look on her face. “Yes, you did.”, Elina replied. “Lie to my face like that again about anything and I’ll make sure your soul is erased from existence.”, this was the first time that Bloody Mary realized just how much Elina Frostclaw cared for her subordinates.

Most of all, Bloody Mary realized just how much the elven gorgon hates lies that she even threatened to delete Mary’s existence from the world because of it. Mary had more questions than she did answers then for she wondered just how fixated the elven gorgon was with the idea of being truthful, both to her allies and her enemies for everyone was prone to lie, here and there, and keep secrets from one another to either manipulate or keep secrets from one another to make the other party feel more comfortable or inclined on doing things. As the sorceress gazed into Elina’s eyes, she respected her and just bowed her head to acknowledge her threat, the meaning behind her words that she took to the very depths of her soul.

“So, um, why do I have a golden hand?”, asked Naomi and Elina sighed. “It’s the Hand of Midas, you idiot.”, said Bloody Mary and Naomi then clued in quickly. “Oh, right.”, the soul within the android’s body then acknowledged what the scarlet sorceress told her.

“By the way, I thought Diabolists could survive molten lava.”, said Naomi. “We can.”, replied Mary. “But I decided to let me melt.”, this reply made Naomi raise her right eyebrow for she was clearly disturbed by what Bloody Mary just said and the scarlet sorceress smiled back.

“I had to make it look authentic, didn’t I?”, she said. “Don’t you think it might have been just a bit of an overkill?”, Naomi asked and Elina just listened to the conversation between the two.

“You know what they say? Whatever kills you just makes you stronger.”, said Bloody Mary. “Umm, I don’t think that’s exactly how the saying goes, but alright…”, replied Naomi.

It was then that a corridor of darkness appeared and disappeared in a matter of seconds with Talia Carabosse arriving in the molten lair of Mary Bloodstone. It consisted of a round circular platform with four spirals of stone encircling a large round stone table and great steps that lead to a grand molten throne of the scarlet sorceress.

“What did I miss?”, asked Talia, who then looked at Naomi Pharon. “Why do you have a man’s golden hand for your right hand?”, Talia questioned Naomi who rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Ladies, ladies…”, Elina Frostclaw closed her eyes and addressed them, and they turned their focus to their mistress. “I promised the two of you…”, she pointed to Naomi and Bloody Mary.

“Endless chaos if you forever choose to remain loyal and truthful to me.”, she then lowered her claws over the table. “I gave you a new body and new form that will evolve each time you get rebuilt, as promised.”, Naomi Pharon bowed her head. “And to you, Bloody Mary, I promised eternal life for as long as you do what I tell you to do.”, the scarlet sorceress bowed her head.

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“As for you, Talia Carabosse, I promised you new life in exchange for your soul and you’ve done well thus far. Your army has grown subtly out of sight of the people of Teyvat with the exception of those annoying spriggans that know everything for they are tied to the land, which means that your niece and her beloved Jour might soon learn of your return for which you must be ready.”, the vampire queen smirked and just leaned back against her seat.

“I’m not so worried about them. By the time she discovers that I have returned, I will be ready to strike her down and drain her of all her blood.”, Talia explained and Elina didn’t appear to be convinced at all by what she said. “I have no doubts that whatever you say won’t be the case.”, stated Elina and Bloody Mary smirked, covering her mouth for it was the exact opposite anyone expected for the Frost Queen to say to the Queen of the Damned.

“If that is so, my queen…”, Talia was the first to address her as queen much to Bloody Mary and Naomi’s surprise. “What do you advise me to do?”, Talia questioned the Frost Queen that could only smile back at her servant. “I won’t give you advice, Vampire Queen, because often people are prone to blame others when they provide them with those. What I will give you is an opinion, a suggestion, and what you do afterwards is all on you. Do you understand?”, Bloody Mary and Naomi looked to Talia before the trio looked back to the Frost Queen expectantly.

All three of them received orders from her before and it lead them down a successful journey that has acquired them many new magical objects, a new golden army, a new army of vampires, an army of loyal elves and new home world that they can all call their home. Deep within the forests of Teyvat, the new breed of vampires created by the Queen of the Damned preyed upon unsuspecting travelers and attacked from the shadows to get a taste of their blood to feed their endless hunger and thirst. This infection had already spread so rapidly that there were dead bodies lying nearly in every field and they did the bidding of their queen. Briar Rose and her beloved Jour gazed from a distance, realizing that this new threat has been taking away their food from them and they did not look pleased at all. One hand then lowered down to feel the lifeless body of a farmer and although she carried sorrow for the being she once sought to protect in life, she had no interest to in death for she was a servant of Mother Nature now. She then heard a few branches break and turned to aim her bow into the distance only to see a familiar figure that stood before her. She could not believe her eyes and lowered her weapon, it was her dearest brother who looked different and behind him there were three bears that growled at him.

“It’s okay.”, said the spriggan. “He’s with me, Goldi.”, it was then that the human assassin lifted his head to look up into one of the trees to see the elven malfhi, Goldilocks, staring down at him.

“You positive, Kir?”, asked Goldilocks and the human spriggan nodded. “He’s my brother.”, this surprised the elven spriggan that then turned her attention back to the human assassin. “In that case…”, said Goldi that was with a loss of words. “I’ll leave you two alone for a while.”, Goldi did as she said she would and jumped down from the tree before walking away with her bears.

“So…”, the assassin said. “This is home now?”, he looked around to the ruined Kingdom of Rosamond and the large beanstalk world tree that sprouted in the center of it, whose natural roots and branches spread all across the ruined kingdom in perpetual harmony.

“Yes, it is.”, the spriggan confirmed and the assassin smiled. “Why have you come? You clearly know now what I have become.”, she spoke to her brother, fearing that he would not accept her and that he was here to kill her because of that but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

“To say goodbye.”, this surprised the human spriggan that stared at her brother in confusion. “And just because you are a spriggan now doesn’t mean your heart has changed.”, he stated.

“If anything, it means it has blossomed into something far more beautiful then we could of ever imagined.”, the human spriggan looked in disbelief as her brother stepped forward.

“I spent many months thinking about you, dear sister, blaming myself for your death, for what had happened to you. I let you go back to this world because I knew you would be happy here. The same look you had in your eyes is the look I had when I came to the Dragonlands so many years ago and all I ever wanted for you is to be happy, to find peace, something I was unable to do and that I am still unable to find.”, she stared into her brother’s eyes and she wondered why he told her all of this, and for a moment she thought he was here to ask for forgiveness.

“Then…”, said Kirya. “Why don’t you go and finally find your own peace, brother, find what makes you happy?”, she questioned her brother that then reached for a revolver from his pouch.

“I already found what makes me happy.”, he said before he suddenly turned and fired a single shot into the open air as a body fell down to the floor, that of a vampire who deteriorated and disintegrated into ashes in front of the spriggan and vampire hunter’s eyes.

“And I will die protecting it.”, he then reached for his blades and she nodded her head as the three bears growled in the distance, snarling as they bit and chew on the body vampires.

The rogue brother and spriggan sister stood, back to back, and fired their projectiles towards the incoming vampires that fell in numbers. They were reunited once more as opposite sides of the same coin; light and darkness, life and death, yin and yang. Meanwhile, back on my home world I still tried to come to peace with death as I gazed down at the grave of the seven dwarfs and our dear companion, Mojo, who now slept in perpetual peace. I stood alone in a blizzard, on top the highest peak off the tallest mountain, and all the cold could not numb the emotions that I felt for their loss, none of the cold could fill the void left in the depths of my very soul. My ears heard the footsteps and my entire body felt them for my spirit was tied with the element of water that lingered all around me. I didn’t bother to shift or turn my head because I didn’t feel imminent danger, I didn’t feel any quick change in this person’s heart beat when she approached me. All I felt was a very calm heart beat and pulse that made its way slowly towards me.

“For what it is worth…”, a female spoke up to me. “They always saw greatness within you more than you could have ever possibly seen within yourself.”, she walked over to my right side and she wore a strange blackened robe decorated with what appeared to be branches and brambles from which grew Black Lotuses that blossomed in perpetual harmony and focus.

“I am sorry, but who are you?”, I didn’t even bother to look at her when I asked her that question and she responded in the most unusual way I could of ever imagined. “Your mind is like water, Snow White, for when it is agitated it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, then the answer becomes clear.”, it was then that she got my attention for she knew my name and more importantly she knew what I had become, and yet she was an elf like me; a malfhi.

“How is this in any way relevant to what I just asked you?”, I questioned her and she chuckled before she would turn to reveal she is blind. “How is it in any way not relevant would be the better question, magian?”, I wanted to be in denial of what she said but I couldn’t help to agree.

“You have a choice, sorceress, you can remain here and mourn for months upon end in pity for what has happened to your family or you may follow me to exact retribution on those who have pulled the strings of the puppets all along and put an end to their schemes. The choice is yours. However, the path we walk will be long and perilous, full of dangers and of the unknown, of familiar faces and voices, particularly one that has been in your mind for quite some time?”, she had my full attention once she finished explaining why she was truly here and it sounded like she was trying to recruit me, and she had me intrigued with how much she knew.

I did have one voice in my mind and it was on an echo, a repeat in my mind, for it was the only voice and face that I did not come across when I disposed of Mary and Naomi. It was a face I never saw but whose evil I believe that I felt and saw in the vision of Jack’ron Horner. I knew she was the cause of the death of Old MacDonald and all of the events that had transpired for Jack’ron’s emotions were not the same when I gazed into his memories. His soul felt despair, doubt, fear, dread and horror whenever a memory of her occurred and yet he was consumed by a dark zeal of vanity that darkened his soul to the point that it echoed with malevolent fury. He directed all of his hatred, anger, fear, and violence onto others for she taught him to do so and this amalgam of corruption turned into a quintessence of pride that consumed him.

“If she was able to do this to a single individual, what could she have possibly done to one such as Bloody Mary and Naomi Pharon?”, I thought. “She must be stopped.”, it was very clear to me.

“Who is she?”, I asked the elven malfhi who then turned to face the opposite way from me. “All the answers will be revealed to you in time, young sorceress. I will be waiting until you feel that you are ready.”, she replied and I bowed my head respectfully as she took a few steps away.

“You already know that I have my choice, don’t you?”, she stopped moving when I asked her this question and she leaned her head back slightly. “You’re just giving me some time to say goodbye, aren’t you?”, the elf did not say a word and then just turned her head, walking away, and in that moment I turned back to the gravestones of my beloved friends and family.

I kneeled down and placed the palm of my hand in the snow where I left them a piece of ice shaped like a star in the snow. My body then disintegrated and turned into a snow storm that followed after the mysterious elf. At that same time, however, back within Sineru City’s mortuary there were many corpses but not stored and rather lying on the ground. There was a piece of a red apple on the ground and each corpse was drained of blood. The doors of the mortuary opened as the wicked and former queen of the Red Kingdom dragged a corpse along with her into a blizzard. She heard a movement in the snow and turned to smile, believing it was yet another victim she can feast upon until she flinched when the snow erupted into a storm that ascended before it descended down upon her…