"Why are you here? Are you going to kill me?"

Seara had backed into a corner, her body wracked with slight tremors that betrayed her fear. Her eyes, wide with panic, darted around the room, searching desperately for an escape route that didn't exist.

Missy took a tentative step forward, hoping to calm the terrified kitsune but quickly halted when she noticed Seara's panic intensify at her approach. Realizing her mistake, Missy retreated a couple of steps, holding her hands up in a placating gesture.

"I don't plan on hurting you," Missy assured her, her voice soft and steady. "But I do want to know how you know what I am. You didn't appear to know when we first met." She tilted her head, curiosity evident in her expression.

Seara's gaze continued to flit nervously around the room, her chest heaving with rapid, shallow breaths. She swallowed hard, her body convulsing slightly as she fought to regain control. After a moment, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"After I saw you take on my appearance and leave, I... I decided to investigate where you came from," Seara explained haltingly. "I found your prison and was intrigued by how complex and powerful it was. The magic... it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before."

She paused, taking a shaky breath before continuing. "I stayed in that room, studying the magic, and stumbled upon a magically embedded record left to warn anyone from releasing you. They didn't say explicitly who or what you were, but..."

Seara's voice trailed off, and she closed her eyes briefly, as if steeling herself. When she opened them again, there was a glimmer of her old curiosity beneath the fear.

"Before I was imprisoned, I dedicated my life to uncovering forbidden knowledge. In fact, it was my discovery of your existence that led to my own imprisonment. With all the facts present, it wasn't hard to draw a conclusion about your true nature." Seara seemed to take a small amount of courage from the fact she was still alive, her posture straightening slightly as she met Missy's gaze before flinching away.

"If you are who I think you are," she began, her voice slightly steadier, "why is the city or anything still left?"

She paused, gathering her courage before she could continue. Missy held up a hand, interrupting her and stopping her before she could voice any more questions.

"I'm kind of in a hurry. I need to know—are you going to cause any problems?"

Missy didn't want to hear what the woman was going to ask or say, fearing that if Seara spoke about it openly, Missy would no longer be able to hide from her past. She wanted to put off dealing with this revelation for as long as possible, preferably forever.

Seara flinched violently at Missy's sudden movement and sharp words, shrinking further into herself as she shook her head desperately. Not knowing how to handle such a delicate situation, she ran. She left the one person who could tear her new life apart cowering in the corner as she rushed toward her next destination.

As she approached the part of the perimeter where the council was gathered, Rinale spotted her and hurried over, studying Missy with her usual mix of fascination and suspicion glinting in her eyes.

"Why are you here, Missy? We have this situation under control and don't need you becoming a vigilante," Rinale stated firmly, her diplomatic demeanor showing signs of strain.

Missy tilted her head uncertainly, her fox-like features betraying genuine confusion. "I don't know what that is. What is a vigilante?"

Rinale let out a weary sigh, unconsciously adjusting her elegant attire. "They are someone who attempts to take the law into their own hands without the authority to do so."

Missy tilted her head the other way, still uncertain, her tails swishing behind her. "How does someone get that authority?"

Rinale let out a frustrated growl, her usual poise slipping. "I don't have time for this, even if you are cute." She seemed startled as the last part slipped out, her refined features showing a crack in her carefully maintained facade.

Rinale put her head in her hands, but not before Missy noticed a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. "Please, can you just go home?" she asked, her face still hidden, her voice tinged with embarrassment and a hint of vulnerability that was rare for the former goddess.

Missy stood there, fidgeting with indecision. She wanted to help and was deeply concerned that if they didn't act quickly, they would find themselves in a much worse situation. But she was being asked not to help, and the last thing she wanted was to upset Rinale or anyone else. The weight of the choice pressed heavily on her shoulders as she struggled to decide the right course of action.

As she stood there, her thoughts in turmoil, she felt another pulse of magic ripple through the air like a shockwave. They were completely out of time—if they didn't take immediate action, Razuroc would succeed in his devastating plan. Missy had been able to study what Razuroc was attempting to do and had realized that while he hadn't obtained the Ortus yet, he was still in the process of breaking through the ancient barrier protecting it. That had all changed with that last pulse, a sort of death rattle for the barrier that had finally shattered, its protection gone.

Rinale looked up from her hands, her face drained of all color. "How... we should've had more time," Rinale muttered, looking slightly stunned and swaying where she stood.

"Do you still not need my help?" Missy asked, her voice gentle but urgent.

Rinale glanced over at her, despair evident in her eyes. "How could you possibly help now? He has the Ortus—it might have faded over the centuries, but it still has enough residual power left to cause untold devastation."

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Missy hesitated, unsure of exactly what to say, her fingers twisting nervously at her sides. "I'm pretty good at controlling magic. If I get close enough, I can prevent or twist whatever he attempts with the Ortus." She spoke haltingly, carefully choosing each word as she tried to figure out what she should reveal.

"This is the Ortus we're talking about," Rinale countered, her voice sharp with frustration. "The origin of magic itself—its power is too pure and refined for anyone to simply control. Even Razuroc will doubtless need some time and preparation in order to be able to harness its essence. The raw power would overwhelm any unprepared wielder."

Missy hadn't been aware that they would struggle to use the Ortus, but that just meant they had more time to act. Her mind raced with possibilities.

"If he can't use it yet, why are you acting like there's nothing we can do?"

Rinale shook her head, her shoulders sagging with defeat. "We couldn't even stop him from breaking in through the floors. We won't be able to stop him from leaving. We've been trying to track him down ever since he first appeared, without any success. He'll disappear into the shadows, and we won't find him before he's had enough time to master the Ortus's power. By then, it will be too late."

Missy whipped around to face the capital building. She had thought she was going to have to make a stand here when Razuroc attempted to leave the capital building, but the lack of external damage now made perfect sense. Without hesitation, Missy rushed forward, her feet barely touching the ground as she leaped over the perimeter, completely ignoring all the voices shouting after her. Her body tensed and released in explosive motion as she swiftly made her way to the room where the Ortus and other artifacts were being kept, shooting through the marble halls like a bullet and slamming through the door with enough force to splinter the wood.

She gasped as she came to an abrupt stop, her breath catching in her throat. There were the bodies of guards and visitors scattered across the room like broken dolls, their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. Missy wasn't sure if they were dead and didn't have time to check, though something inside her twisted painfully at the thought. Her eyes were drawn inexorably to the massive, imposing form of Razuroc, his mammoth-like bulk filling the chamber. He hadn't noticed her yet, too focused on trying to delicately maneuver the Ortus through a jagged hole in the floor with his enormous tusks.

The air around Missy began to shimmer, her hair and tails rippling and shifting like dancing flames as she steeled herself to face the behemoth. As her aura rippled outward in waves of ethereal energy, Razuroc finally noticed her presence. He abandoned the Ortus where it was, turning to face her fully, his deep-set eyes burning with ancient malice as they locked onto her.

"I had hoped to see you," Razuroc rumbled, a cruel smile evident in his voice. "I hope that you don't foolishly believe you defeated me the last time we met. You simply surprised me, and I worried that the city's defenses were more impressive than I had believed. You appear to be an outlier, and my caution was unnecessary. I will crush you for thinking you can defy me."

Razuroc moved forward with surprising grace for his massive bulk, the intricate runes etched into his yellowed tusks beginning to pulse with an ominous glow.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to set the record straight."

Razuroc's thunderous roar shook the chamber as the ground erupted in front of him, sending molten shards of rock spreading toward Missy like a deadly wave. Missy's eyes darted to the motionless bodies scattered around her, her heart constricting. If any were still alive, she had to contain Razuroc's attacks and be careful with her own. Until this point, she had only wielded fire, finding comfort in how it matched her emotional state and kitsune appearance. This time, however, she let loose a condensed blast of frozen air. It shot forth with devastating precision, bursting against the molten projectiles and freezing Razuroc's attack in place, preventing any damage to the surrounding area and creating a crystalline barrier between them.

Missy's magical reserves plummeted, leaving her nearly drained and gasping from the exertion. The crystalline ice wall shattered with a deafening crack under Razuroc's immense bulk as he stepped through it, his ancient rune-etched tusks pulsing with an ominous magical glow. Acting on pure instinct, Missy didn't give Razuroc a chance to complete his casting. She extended her supernatural senses outward, probing the ethereal currents until she found the precise threads of magic Razuroc was feeding into his spell. Without hesitation, she reached out and violently ripped the power from him, absorbing it into herself. The stolen energy coursed through her body, nearly topping off her depleted magical reserves.

Razuroc bellowed in surprise and nearly stumbled as he felt the magic torn from his grasp. He caught himself with a heavy thud, turning to look at Missy with newfound wariness, his once-arrogant posture now distinctly defensive. He watched her with calculated caution, occasionally glancing at the Ortus with uncertainty written across his bestial features. It was clear from his bewildered expression that he was struggling to puzzle out what had caused his spell to fail so catastrophically, having never encountered anything capable of such magical theft before.

Razuroc began to carefully feed magic into another spell, his massive tusks glowing with an ominous crimson light once more. His muscles were tensed and his small eyes darted between Missy and the Ortus as he channeled his power, clearly on high alert, waiting to see if whatever had snatched his magic would attempt to do so again. Missy waited patiently, letting him gradually lower his guard before she casually reached out and ripped the accumulating energy from him with even greater ease than before.

Razuroc's cautious demeanor instantly transformed into naked fear as he felt Missy tear his power away, his bestial features contorting in a mix of shock and dawning terror. Missy wasn't in a position to notice his reaction, however, as she was too preoccupied with the overwhelming sensation of absorbing more magic than her body could safely handle, the excess power threatening to burst from her very pores.

Missy needed to vent the excess energy quickly before she quite literally exploded. While she would probably be able to recover from such an event, the resulting magical detonation would devastate the surrounding area. She could channel it into an attack against Razuroc, but she hesitated—her goal was to stop him, not obliterate him entirely. In desperation, she directed the overwhelming power upward into the ceiling in the form of another concentrated burst of frozen air. When it struck the ornate surface, it erupted violently, coating the entire ceiling in a thick, crystalline layer of ice that began to creep ominously down the walls like frozen fingers.

Missy staggered under the strain, and Razuroc seized upon her moment of weakness to try a different approach. He charged forward with surprising speed for his massive bulk and swung one of his deadly tusks at her. Unfortunately for Missy, while she might have been unmatched when it came to magical contests, the same could not be said of physical confrontations, especially given how little essence she currently possessed. Razuroc's massive tusk caught her squarely in the chest and sent her flying through one of the room's ornate stained-glass windows.

She sailed out into the night sky, fragments of colored glass trailing in her wake, before crashing down hard into the meticulously manicured lawn below. Missy found herself flat on her back, staring into the evening sky, her body aching from the brutal impact. She could see the beginnings of a sunset, its soft pink and orange hues painting the clouds above. The peaceful scene felt strangely at odds with recent events, the tranquil beauty a stark contrast to the violence that had sent her crashing through the window. Small shards of colored glass still sparkled around her in the manicured grass, catching the waning sunlight like scattered gems.