After Omega took control of the Matriarch Cecilian, she scanned through Cecilian's memories.

The first thing she noticed was that the Matriarchs had a similar role in the Shade society as the queen of an insectoid hive. The Shades reproduced through eggs, and every so often a ritual was performed to create a new batch, with the best hunters providing the genetic material. The resulting Shades were almost exclusively male, with females being a special occurrence.

Omega was less concerned with how the process worked (which seemed to involve a heavy use of magic to protect the eggs and speed the growth process) and more concerned with the tactical implications. New Shades only took 24 hours to be born, and from there it only took a few weeks until they were fully grown fighters. The Shade population was kept low through limiting the amount of reproduction rituals performed, but if the Shades went all-out they could produce an army at a disturbing rate. The only good news was that the number of Matriarchs was low, but given their capabilities, it would still be nigh-impossible to kill them all.

The second thing she noticed was her magical abilities. She did not have access to psychic powers in this body, but instead had access to a potent array of magic. She could levitate herself, open mental contact with others, block incoming attacks (supported by an array of magical jewelry imbued with warding charms), and fire homing bolts with the same capabilities as the Shade's crossbows. She wasn't in a situation where those powers would be relevant, but if nothing else she would need to warn Annabelle about the potential for a homing death bolt before she ended up fighting a Matriarch.

Her mansion also contained a portal chamber that could open portals into anywhere in the Shaderealm instantly (or at least much faster than the Resistance's portals), and a mirror that could be linked to an invisible arcane eye anywhere in the lower Shaderealm. It seems like the Matriarchs could theoretically launch an invasion of the survivors' camp at any time, but help back to keep things interesting for their warriors.

But the third thing she noticed was that the other Matriarchs would not tolerate any delay. Or, more accurately, they would take advantage of the lapse to attack anyways, and Cecilian's hunters would be angry at her for not allowing them to join in. It could potentially reduce the threat Annabelle would be facing, but at the cost of raising suspicion.

Why even bring in the other Matriarchs?

They're dangerous enough that my team alone might lose, Cecilian's remnant personality/memories claimed. The others will be wiped out in the fight, giving me a greater chance to steal the weapon.

So, when the time came for the attack, she opened her portal, and allowed her warriors to head through to attack Annabelle's group. Then, she observed the proceedings, and provided a small amount of guidance to help them.

Fortunately, Annabelle's weapon worked, as shown when it obliterated several Shades.

But the problem came when she fell for a trap. After hearing of the first group's deaths, another Matriarch, Armenix, recalled her troops through her portal, and then redeployed them by opening a portal directly above the group. One of them managed to score a hit on Annabelle, and she went down instantly, followed shortly afterwards by the rest of the group.

As the Shades took Annabelle and the other prisoners, she noticed several of them throwing away their knives for the sole purpose of torturing the remaining prisoners. Omega was horrified, and she even had a justification for that horror. If the Shades made it back, they were going to get punished for this excessive measure. Broken survivors weren't fun to deal with.

She began to formulate contingency plans, trying to find a plan B if the Shades returned with Annabelle. Luckily, the Shades didn't make it back, as Annabelle managed to break free from the effect, then wipe them all out with one vortex. After being rescued by Darius, she freed the rest of their prisoners and began to return to their group.

It was at this point that Nyxl decided to speak in her mind, sending a message with enough raw power that even the mind-clone of someone with exceptional mental fortitude was shaken.

YOUR MEN LOST A PRISONER. A PRISONER WHO SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A PRISONER. SHE WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO LET LIVE.

Omega was cowed for a few seconds, before responding. She had knowledge of a previously unheard-of weapon design. A 'railgun', she called it. Based on what I've seen from their experiments, at full strength we'll have a handheld weapon capable of bringing down even the mightiest dragon in one hit.

SHE SHARED THE WEAPON DESIGN WITH VAROS, THE ADVISOR FOR THAT GROUP. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAPTURED AND INTERROGATED INSTEAD. FAR LESS RISK.

No prey has escaped a stunning shot before, Omega countered. We had no way of knowing she could do it, because it had never been done before. Well, Omega considered it fairly likely. In fact, she didn't expect Annabelle to go down.

HER FINAL TRICK KILLED EIGHTEEN SHADES. AND NOT JUST THAT, BUT SHE SOMEHOW DAMAGED THEIR SOULS AS WELL. THEY HAVE PROVEN UNABLE TO BE RESURRECTED. Wait, what? Since when was that something Annabelle could do?

Still, it will be worth it-

SHE CANNOT BE TAKEN ALIVE. NOT ONLY WAS SHE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT SHE NO LONGER APPEARS POSSIBLE TO DISABLE. IF SHE'S CONSCIOUS TO INTERROGATE, SHE'LL BE ABLE TO REPEAT THE TRICK INSIDE OUR OWN CITY.

Well, that posed a problem. Even if Nyxl wasn't as smart as Daraken, he still knew to cut his losses and not try to capture Annabelle. Granted, he likely only did it because Varos was also an alternate source of information.

I WANT HER DEAD, AND VAROS CAPTURED. DO THAT, AND I MAY JUST FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS DISASTER.

Nyxl left her mind, leaving her with both a literal and a figurative headache. If she wanted to avoid being disgraced (and/or exposed), she had to kill Annabelle, or at least make a 'competent' effort to do so.

They were already moving. Omega didn't have much time to think, and even less time to open a pathway into the Shaderealm to allow them to intervene.

Her first thought was to "engage" personally, put up some excuse for a fight, and then surrender and rejoin her origin. Cecilian's Matriarch magic was fairly robust, and it would give them a significant advantage. However, it would sacrifice her high-ranking position, and would attract suspicion. And, if Annabelle was to survive, Omega would need to be here to stop them from sending their elites.

But, as she searched Cecilian's memories, she found a second option. A Shade who had a personal connection to their group, even before they arrived in the Shaderealm. One who would have every reason to decide to make the fight personal, rather than simply assassinating Annabelle and ending it. And an illusionist, with a powerset that Annabelle could almost certainly hard-counter with her less notable abilities.

Omega called in her choice, and used a portal to send them into the Shaderealm in a perfect position to interrupt the returning group. Hopefully, he wouldn't stand a chance in the resulting battle.

**********

"Well, well, well. How did you get here, Darius?" Xerxes' voice said.

"I knew you were an illusionist," Darius said. "And that you were likely hiding your true identity. But this-"

While they were conversing, Annabelle manifested Starsight to analyze the wall, and immediately discovered it to be nothing more than an illusion.

Stolen story; please report.

"You know what? Since you used to be a close friend, I'll offer you a deal. Step aside, let me kill Annabelle, and I'll let you go."

"The only way I'd consider that offer is if it was the unconditional release of everyone else back to their homes."

Even then, I won't let you take that deal, Annabelle warned Darius.

"Unfortunately, you'll never be able to return to your homeworld."

"Why did you aid us against Daraken? Why do you want Annabelle dead?" Darius launched several more questions, hoping to talk Xerxes down. Meanwhile, Annabelle expanded her Starsight search, attempting to spot any other illusions in the area, and maybe figure out where Xerxes' voice was coming from.

Xerxes decided to launch into a story. "I was an infiltrator, sent to examine Garnoth to determine its suitability to invasion. Daraken, at the time, would have been enough to push the world back to a later stage. However, there was also your Resistance, one that could potentially eliminate Daraken, or pose enough of a distraction to prevent him from fully engaging us. I was sent to aid the Resistance in their fight against Daraken, to clear our invasion path."

Wait. Annabelle's slaying of Daraken meant that Garnoth was now under threat. Even if she somehow escaped, it wouldn't end their threat.

"When you were captured in Arexia, " Xerxes continued, "I pulled out all the stops to save you. If I got you out, that would have been a massive turning point in your war against Daraken. I forced most of their Harpies out of the air, and single-handedly paved the way for Annabelle to get in and perform the rescue. And what did I get for this? I got screwed."

"How?" Darius asked.

"Annabelle pulled off her grand trick, somehow knocking out an entire city at once. I was caught in the blast. She likely didn't even know I existed, but yet she ruined me. When I recovered, I was back in the Shaderealm, having been recalled after my cover was blown."

"That sounds like an issue with the Shade leadership, not with us. If you were competent, it would be easy to regain contact with us."

"It's not just that. I was incapacitated for so long that my illusions lapsed, revealing my true form."

Darius snickered. "That would've happened anyways. Our base has wards that nullify magic when you enter it. Of course, we probably would have still accepted a black-skinned elf into our ranks."

"It's not you, it's the gods." Xerxes countered. "If they spotted a previously unheard-of race on their worlds, they would rightfully be concerned about a potential unknown threat."

Darius sighed. "Or maybe it's because you technically achieved your goals and thus your mission was done."

No response from Xerxes. He still wasn't visible.

"But, it wouldn't be fair for me to decide whether Annabelle lives or dies. She would decide, but she can't talk right now. So, I'm just going to assume that she says no." He said that even though Annabelle had, in fact, already expressed her opinion.

Annabelle immediately readied herself to defend against a death bolt.

"Also, that wall is fake," Darius added. Annabelle was about to tell him, but he had figured it out on his own.

Darius told everyone to move, and they rushed through the illusionary wall. Annabelle, the closest to the wall, went through first.

She saw nothing unusual on the other side, but was then immediately hit by a mental attack, some sort of fear blast. She ignored the attack, barely even recognizing it. If this idiot was going to try a mental attack-

A bolt of green energy shot at her out of thin air. She had been too distracted thinking about this idiot's poor choice of magic to remember that they also had a crossbow capable of delivering instant death. Luckily, she had a premonition of the attack an instant before it struck.

She couldn't react in time to block the shot with a barrier, and she Annabelle immediately used self-telekinesis to throw herself out of the path of the shot. She managed to avoid the shot, but the bolt hit another survivor behind her, killing them instantly and causing the remainder to flee.

The bastard had sent someone to Hell. She had to end this, quickly.

She pinpointed the Shade's position with Starsight. Xerxes reloaded his crossbow, but before he could fire again, Annabelle unleashed a rapid series of four telekinetic blasts, slamming him into both walls and the ceiling before slamming him down onto the ground. The only reason she didn't eliminate him outright with a distortion beam was due to his potential worth as a prisoner. And maybe energy depletion as well. She likely didn't have very much left after that assault.

Xerxes managed to maintain his invisibility through all of that. Annabelle compensated by highlighting his position with a psychic aura.

"How?" Xerxes managed to say. Annabelle didn't respond.

"So, Annabelle, what are you going to do with this guy?"

If nothing else, I can mindrip him for information. But there's a small chance you'll be able to get him to change sides. Although, did she really want him to switch sides? Would she really accept him defecting? She had accepted Varos, but only because he was only indirectly aiding the Shades before his defection.

"She says you live. At least, if you surrender. Drop your invisibility, and your wards."

Xerxes didn't say anything, but he complied, revealing his position. Then, he picked up his warding charm and threw it onto the ground.

-He's behind you.-

Annabelle picked up the premonition just before she ate a shot to the back. Even before she adjusted her Starsight, she was already moving. Xerxes fired, and a green bolt went just past her shoulder, before she turned around and smashed her fist into Xerxes' chest. Or, more accurately, his wards, which absorbed the impact effortlessly.

Xerxes ignored her and reloaded his crossbow. Annabelle, seeing a clear opportunity, pulled her sword out of her bag and attempted to smash him with an augmented swing. Even if it wasn't a shot from Shadebreaker, she still expected it to overpower the wards, or at the very least knock Xerxes down.

But the blade passed straight through his form, like it didn't exist.

Then, a dozen clones of Xerxes surrounded Annabelle and Darius.

"This trick again, Xerxes?"

What trick? Annabelle opened a mental connection with Darius.

When he was demonstrating his worth to me, he demonstrated a technique where he swarmed a battlefield with illusions.

"You already know your doom, then." Xerxes' voice came from every one of his clones.

Only one of the bodies is real, Annabelle told Darius. I'll light it up. She focused her remaining on Xerxes, surrounding him in a psychic aura that would hopefully negate his efforts to hide.

"You may have powers, but you lack talent."

Xerxes didn't reply.

"And, judging by your inability to effectively infiltrate, you're also incompetent."

Xerxes suddenly switched places with one of his illusion clones, and fired a green bolt at Darius. He didn't react in time, but his stolen warding charm still blocked the shot. Annabelle only took a fraction of her second to shift her aura.

"Meanwhile, I'm smart enough to steal your gear."

"Impossible."

"And yet, I still have access to one of your wards."

Xerxes and his clones all rushed Darius. As they charged in, Xerxes switched with his clones several times. Annabelle used her Starsight and aura to keep Darius aware of these switches, but Darius ignored Xerxes himself and instead pulled out a dispelling wand. With four bolts, he knocked out a third of Xerxes' clones.

But Xerxes himself managed to stab Darius in the back, through his wards. Annabelle felt the resulting pain wave through the mental connection for a brief instant, while Darius immediately counterattacked, spinning around and delivering a dagger slash that was blocked by the wards.

"Our knives pierce wards," Xerxes said. "How else would we deal with traitors?" Darius lunged forward, a knife in one hand and a wand in the other. Xerxes immediately switched out with an illusion behind him the instant he swung forward, but Darius used the opening to dispel another of his clones before rolling out of the way of Xerxes' backstab.

Darius then threw a knife behind him into Xerxes, though it bounced off his wards to no effect, landing to the side.

"Your knives, though? They're useless."

Darius recalled his knife and leaped at Xerxes. But mid-leap, Xerxes stunned Darius with a mental attack and then sidestepped him, causing him to miss and crash into the cavern wall. As Darius attempted to recover, Xerxes advanced on him, knife drawn.

Annabelle had to intervene. She speared his mind with a psychic blast, stunning him before he could finish the fight. His defenses were strong, but he was still dazed for a few crucial seconds.

Darius recovered before Xerxes did, and took advantage of the opening to rush forward. He walked up to Xerxes, and slowly passed his hand through his ward to grab his warding amulet. Then, with a quick upwards yank, he pulled it off.

Xerxes retaliated with a stab to Darius' gut.

"A second too late, fool-"

Xerxes then slumped over, as Darius lifted the stunning crossbow with his other hand and fired it into Xerxes' now-unprotected body. Annabelle sensed the shift as Xerxes fell into the dream-state stun condition.

Well, now that this idiot's gotten himself stunned, let's talk. Annabelle immediately recognized her own mental voice inside Xerxes' mind.

What's going on your end? Annabelle asked.

Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that they're planning invasions across a large collection of worlds. One of those worlds might potentially be Garnoth.

I heard them mentioning an invasion, Annabelle replied. But I wasn't sure if it was true or not. And I suspect Earth might be on the list.

It isn't. Even if they did know of Earth, they'd be fighting against overwhelming numbers and a massive technological advantage.

Though that left a question. If Earth wasn't under threat, why was ACP getting involved?

The good news is, I'm keeping Nyxl from killing you outright. If I wasn't here, he would have wiped you out with his elite forces.

Well, that was good news. Although…

Wait. What makes you think he won't send one now, after I've taken out your best 'attempt' to clean up this mess?

Omega paused. I've thought of a few things.

But before Omega could explain, Annabelle's connection failed, as the last of her energy was spent.