Tomorrow would be the fated day they would set off on their journey, the day everything would begin. Sxieva had predicted that this would be the end of all their preparations, and with this the true face of the war would be revealed, as Khaexyn's conquest would spread in earnest.
Thanrie was troubled about this return to the Rebellion once again. It wouldn't be the Marauders, they were going to the main host of the Rebellion, but she still didn't have complete hope in them. After the Marauders dismissed them for their acceptance in using technology, it was hard to have such hope.. but worse was this was going to involve Zyuixqs' father. She already had concerns about him, why would he have been sent to the Marauders instead of left with his family? She hadn't thought of that before, but it was dawning on her now. Also, what kind of parent lets their child be exiled like that...
Qheria was spending the last of the morning working on the Footsphere match. There were so many disputes on team compositions last time.. she needed to make sure the teams were perfect this time. She knew not to underestimate the elves, Mhyl was a terror in the front lines.. and it wouldn't be fair to put Rhyde against that. Last time they just took their original idea and just threw in everyone else, but that wasn't exactly fair either. Lwyn would go on her side, Thanrie would join Mhyl. This gives them the most insane offense imaginable, but puts her team on a glory of a defense. Leading with strengths could make things really interesting.
Yuxzn would be put on Rhyde's defense, since they knew each other so well, along with Zyuixqs. It was a triple pair that had a great chemistry, which could give them an interesting defense. Meanwhile, Chyurae would pair up with Lwyn, a stealth advantage against Mhyl's expert moves. This left her mother and Thanrie's brother as their offense line, the two rivals. This might not have been the smartest move, but Qheria saw the big picture.. they would have to work together on the roads ahead, might as well get used to it. Of the days in passing, they really haven't done that bad, it had been even their rivalry that had put them together so well, so she did have high hopes in that pair.
Mhyl was focused on the musical performance, something she knew had to work out, no matter what. The last time they had held this, it had broken Lwyn. This time, they would make it work. They had even done some practicing last night, she was sure everything was going to be fine. In the lunar cycle since their last performance, Lwyn had changed a lot, she was far more self-confident, it would happen. But.. this still had to be amazing, they were holding a performance to keep everyone's spirits up through the trials ahead.
To make sure everything would work out, she was out perfecting the stage area. There was so much temptation to add the gift into the performance, make it even better. Put Thanrie on an audio boost, her gift working like a sound amplifier.. stuff like that. It was an interesting train of thought, but also too risky, splitting their focus during such a performance. One day, a gifted performance might be really cool, but not today.. today, their gift would get a break. Mhyl wasn't even being followed by a floating light today.
Lwyn went to visit the smith, hearing that the smith had called her in. On arrival, she was given four identical clear crystalline pendants, a single small blossom suspended inside.. as if frozen in time. While it wasn't anything Thanrie did, technically they were frozen in time, the crystal itself keeping the blossom from ever changing. It was an idea Mhyl had came up with, though she understood little how it worked. Lwyn put one of the pendants on, carrying the other three with her. This was to be a symbol of their friendship, a priceless artifact on their trials ahead.
As Lwyn left the smith, she took a time to wonder.. why today? Something wasn't adding up, Khaexyn was expected to shift his approach very soon, but somehow that didn't seem to match up. She had talked with her father, she did have a general idea of his ambitions. He was more set against the laws of the world than exactly anyone else, and yet his desperation was expected to shift into rage. Was one of his machinations going to fail him? She remembered dismissing his video game offer, he didn't seemed to be one phased by that sort of thing, he was almost too stubborn to give up just because something stopped working. After all, her father was an idiot.
Even by lunch, this thought was left unresolved. Lwyn decided that it was something that would require more information, something they would probably find once they reached the lakeside. For now, she would have to keep moving forward, to focus on the present. She met up with the others during lunch and passed off the other three pendants. The others also put theirs on right away, appreciating the feeling of unity. Qheria then started sharing the plan for teams right after lunch, building hype for everyone to be ready.
Thanrie and Mhyl exchanged a glance at the news, they would be on the same team? Would that even be fair? Lwyn also noticed the meaning behind this, Qheria had personally chosen her for the team, she was being depended on in this. She was thus determined to not let Qheria down. The rest of the teams were a matter of interest as well, exactly how would this shift impact the results of their match?
Quickly after lunch, it was time to begin. Everyone took their place on the field, Sxeiva taking a place near Ehryinae, to watch how things pan out. The match signal was given, and almost instantly Thanrie had the ball. She dashed forwards, making her way past her brother, and faced the elven defense. Instead of pushing a further offense, Thanrie backed off and passed to Mhyl. Mhyl started forwards, took a shot on net.. and her foot met with air. Chyurae passed the ball up to Xyithy, as Mhyl wondered what had happened. Xyithy pressed her advantage and approached Yuxzn, who was smiling. No surprise, he had a plan, he always did. She moved off towards the side of the field.. and then set a long pass to Ihzyhur.
Ihzyhur was generally surprised to be given this opportunity, but he wasn't going to squander it. He now had to face off against Zyuixqs, both of them sharing a dark glare. Those two had a bit of a rivalry as well, something they had yet to overcome. Ihzyhur pressed forwards, sidestepping Zyuixqs' assault, and moved to make a shot. However, Zyuixqs had cut back and snatched the ball in the same movement, his original motion was only a feint. Zyuixqs passed the ball back up to Thanrie as Yuxzn's grin did not fade. Xyithy cursed her misfortune.
Thanrie turned back to her offense.. and still wasn't sure of the best approach. Chyurae was just going to surprise them, like usual. Qheria tested the heavy poles she had set up earlier for their strengths, returning to the middle as Thanrie took to the offense. A trick shot then, she lashed out for a long range shot, aiming for the top corner of the net, a difficult move in most cases, and opposite the side Qheria had just approached from. It was like an invitation. As the ball approached, Lwyn dashed up the pole, vaulting down onto the ball from above with a kick that sent it flying hard, rebounding hard off of the opposite net's pole. Lwyn cursed her luck, clearly she had gotten too used to having her aim handled for her. Everyone else was stunned for a moment at the cross-field shot.
Yuxzn found he had the ball unexpectedly at that moment and tried to push the ball forwards. Xyithy however was still present, and intercepted the ball in his confusion. She pressed into a shot passed all defense... and again passed off to Ihzyhur, who struck instantly for a goal. Yuxzn was at a loss, he hadn't planned for this one at all.. last time maybe, but... It was clear that Lwyn was making things very hard to predict.
Thanrie once again had the ball to start the new round. She started off with a dash again past her brother, who was getting frustrated at not even keeping up. Once past, she kept advancing.. and then passed the ball to Mhyl. Lwyn stopped her rush forwards once Thanrie no longer had the ball, but was startled when Mhyl instantly passed the ball right back to Thanrie. Chyurae stumbled, his efforts wasted, and Lwyn had no time to blink as Thanrie went past. Thanrie then took her shot, only for Qheria to block it with her leg. Chyurae intercepted the ball at this point, only to find himself the one suddenly without the ball soon after. Mhyl took her own shot on net, and Qheria grabbed the ball from the air.
Thanrie was starting to catch on just how insane this defense was. She also knew Mhyl would start to wear down soon, they had to score somehow. Qheria passed the ball up to Lwyn.. and the ball went flying ahead. Ihzyhur had the ball this time, and pressed his attack in the short window, making a full shot on net. Rhyde himself was the one that had to block this one, it got past all their other defense. Zyuixqs was given the ball, who tried to slip past Ihzyhur.. and failed. Ihzyhur looked for an opening, seeing none he then passed to Xyithy. She took her own shot, but was intercepted by Zyuixqs as well, with Yuxzn still standing backup. There was no opportunity for a goal.
Zyuixqs brought the ball up to Thanrie for another shot. She advanced again on Lwyn, and then made for a pass, causing Lwyn to pause again. Instead of passing, she pushed around Lwyn and kept going, breaking through. Then, following her original goal, she made an upper corner shot again. Lwyn was in no position to counter this time. Qheria however barely knocked the ball aside, but Mhyl was there to take it. With the net wide open, her shot scored.
There were no further goals through the match, as the defense begun to set in. Qheria's defense was powerful, when complimented by Lwyn and Chyurae. Both Chyurae and Mhyl started to tire from things first, but Qheria and Lwyn held their defense against Thanrie. Eventually Lwyn and Yuxzn started to tire, which should have given Thanrie an edge, but she found her brother getting in her face instead, Xyithy only making matters worse. As the field fell into a tired chaos, there was no chance to mount any further offenses against the towers that were Qheria and Rhyde.
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After a quick break, it was time for the musical performance. The plan was to begin when Mhyl said she was ready, even though Mhyl was adamant that her ability to recover her stamina really wasn't a problem. Lwyn was getting the impression in fact that her personal ability to recover her stamina was improving beyond anyone else, as Lwyn herself was actually still a bit tired. So instead, once Lwyn said she was recovered enough to begin, they took to their stage.
Mhyl was physically ready, but she was still a bit tense, hoping things would work out. She had checked everything, right? There wasn't... Mhyl took a deep breath, there was no point in panicking about anything at this point. She would have to just trust things would be okay, and just do what she could if anything went wrong. They had learned this lesson already, they always had to move forwards. She felt the pendant bounce off her chest in reminder, everything would be okay.
Lwyn herself closed her eyes for a moment to relax as well. This was her chance to make amends, to prove she belonged with her friends. Her pendant reminded her, she really did belong here. She owed everyone the performance of their lives, and she was determined to make up for the past faults with her present success. She just had to relax, she had this after all.
Mhyl begun her singing again, similar to their last performance. It was the exact same song as before, with one exceptional change. Mhyl had found and memorized all of the Izhaethyx lyrics, and was singing that instead. She had a bit of a soft accent in her tones, but the languages were close enough that it didn't stand out very much. This was what she was truthfully working on that morning, making sure she had the entire song memorized. The other three knew of this plan, but everyone else was surprised at the outcome. Lwyn was proud for having helped her with the words the night before.
Thanrie was up next, her drums taking the stage once more, as Qheria stepped in to support. The tone began to rose once more, as Lwyn stepped forwards and closed her eyes. She took her bow to her violin and begun playing along, her violin fitting in perfectly with the flow of the melody. The violin sounded soft and resonant in her hands, blending in evenly with the music in a rich harmony. Mhyl took to the lead of the song, the center of the entire performance, her voice resounding through the hall amidst the others. Their crowd started to cheer to the melody, as the volume picked up and rose. At the strongest point of the song, with an audience full of smiles, people started clapping along to the beat. And once it reached it's softer ending, the room was otherwise still, fully absorbed by the impressions left by the song.
Nearing the end of the song, Mhyl went quiet and stepped back, the lyrics concluded. The others continued to play, building an after-melody to the song. Mhyl really liked this feeling, for a song all about striving to impossible heights and overcoming lofty goals with a strong devotion, having a moment left afterwards to reflect on everything just felt fitting. It was what they each had needed as well, with their own struggles to keep going. Lwyn was the last to keep playing, bringing everything into a solemn solo for a short period.
The applause was resounding, the experience was thrilling, smiles were everywhere. Lwyn glanced over their audience, seeing not a single face without a smile, leaving her with a smile in turn. She found her mother in the audience, also with a solemn smile.. and sad eyes. Lwyn paused for a moment, this somehow alarming her. She glanced at the others and met Thanrie's eyes. Thanrie suddenly had a feeling something was wrong, and Lwyn caught on instantly.
Pouncing like a cat, Lwyn was up the wall and across the room in an instant. Sxeiva's eyes closed slowly, as she collapsed into Lwyn's arms. They carried her off into a room, so that Aelyiq could look into the matter, along with the Wardens. Mhyl was almost ready to curse their misfortune, everything had gone so well too. They hadn't made a single mistake, so why had things gone wrong once more?
Aelyiq shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure what I can do. Most of her body isn't even .. living. She's mostly of the fortress instead of anything else. She almost needs the smith or something more than myself." Aelyiq's Izhaethyx was partly lost on Mhyl, but she had learned enough to get the basic clues, and it put everything together for her in a nice pattern. A workshop of the fortress, that's exactly what they had left behind. Sxeiva had told them she had done self care in the basement every day, to take care of her inorganic parts.. and they had left that behind.
"Sxeiva needs Spire Workshop." Mhyl tried her best to share her ideas, and it was enough for Lwyn. "Certainly we could.. it's just.. we could.." Lwyn found her mother had stirred slightly and was shaking her head. "No, there is no longer any time." "Time! Thanrie, you could..." Sxeiva again shook her head, causing Lwyn to pause. "Lwyn, I'm sorry for having put such a burden upon you. Be careful with the path you tread going forwards, to save my life at this point you would also have to reach through the veil and change the world. It is not even my life you would be saving, in all accounts I have really been dead for a good many years already. If the world had not whispered about a chance to gain my freedom and watch just how much you have grown, I would have left it behind years ago. Living in a caged shell of metal like this.. isn't even living. My gift was the first to leave me, but I don't even see with my own eyes, I don't even breath with my own lunges, nor speak with my own voice. This torment.. needs to end..." Sxeiva trailed off at this.
Lwyn paused at the reference to the gift. Lwyn had previously reflected on how much her mother's loss of organics were haunting her, how her life had been taken away from her. She knew how much that kind of thing could hurt, she had even considered her own death in that regards. However, unlike Lwyn, there was no longer any way to fix this with her mother. Her father had ensured that there was no other way, by removing all of her hope and replacing it with despair. She was starting to clue in to her answers from before, why today was so important, and why things would change. Khaexyn himself would know how long she could survive away from the fortress, that's why he was so desperate. In a few more days, her mother's body would just fail itself from lack of maintenance, and she would perish. As is, it seems she wouldn't last the day in the waking world, her body would go comatose anytime now, just to try and hold on. They could all see just how much she was suffering and struggling.. and after that, she would be gone. There was nothing Khaexyn obsessed more over than his family, this would drive him into a fury.
This was driving her into a fury in turn, because it was her father that had engineered this fate, being such an idiot. How could he do this thing to... She calmed down, recalling the story about the original injury that had almost killed Sxeiva.. both of the two incidents, actually. Lwyn had not been ignorant to desperation from life-threatening situations, it had thrown her through some far reaches of insanity herself, and she had almost been lost to it herself, just like her father. Blaming anyone wasn't right, that was their lesson through all of their own torment, to keep moving onward. But now.. what does she do now, facing a problem such as this?
Mhyl didn't even have words at this point, giving Lwyn a hug. She could see how this was panning out, they all could. To save Sxeiva, they would have to put Sxeiva in a frozen time bubble, using Thanrie's gift. Then, giving up on their promise to the Rebellion, they would have to head to the Fortress. There would be no way to sneak her in, they would have to surrender Sxeiva to Khaexyn. To prevent their death, Lwyn would have to do it alone, which would have her captive again. With the invitation to save her mother present, Lwyn would find herself lost in her father's work again.. and having given up everything to save her mother, she would have to give up on doing anything to stop him. Sxeiva wouldn't survive otherwise, not with her living requirements. Sxeiva's life was Khaexyn's greatest bargaining chip for keeping his daughter devoted to his side.
In fact, this was inevitable. Stopping Khaexyn, stopping the fortress, it would remove everything that could save Sxeiva.. unless Lwyn took over her father's vision for him. Sxeiva understood what her own life was doing to her daughter, how much it was holding Lwyn back. Surviving this was impossible, so she kept quiet about the whole matter and just enjoyed her last few days with her daughter, getting to witness just how nicely her daughter was doing. Until this had happened, their hopes had never been higher... Sxeiva obviously had plenty of reasons to be proud of her daughter.
Mhyl paused in reflection of this family treatment. It was a gift of freedom that none of them had been given freely. They all had to fight for it. Thanrie, Qheria, Mhyl, they all had to run away from home to get this freedom. Sxeiva even said she had to fight for this freedom when she was little, deprived of it by her father, until suddenly found locked away by her husband too. Clearly she understood how valuable the chance to be free was. Even so, this fate... Mhyl wiped away her tears. It wasn't just Lwyn even, all four of them had started looking up to Sxeiva for guidance this whole time, and had grown close to her. To suddenly lose her like this, it was far too unfair. And unlike their family, Sxeiva even had a plan for when to tell everyone.. being able to predict everything so well. Sure, it was at the last moment, but unlike many, she was actually opening up before the last moment happened.
"My time.. my time is at an end, at last. What I need you to do is to extract the core from me, sitting in place of what used to be my heart. This will cut all systems, and bring an end to everything. That core though is important, a marvel of Khaexyn's greatest work. He had practically ripped it from the veil itself, torn from fragments of data from earth. Once you stop him, you will have to use it to close the veil, and bring everything to an ending. Beyond that, the book my mother left me, I leave to you. My father should still have it, he will know to pass it on to you. Once again, I'm sorry. I wish you the best in your efforts and your life going forwards... Farewell..." Sxeiva made it seem like Lwyn was expected to do the job herself, to end her own mother's life.
Lwyn sat there struggling through tears for a long while after that, her mother waiting patiently, eyes already closed and body already unmoving. But there was no other solution, there was no other way her mother could be alive.. could be free. To deny this would be to deny her her own freedom, it wouldn't even be granting her life. Lwyn fought against the fainting she felt was onset, gripped her pendant, the irony of having a blossom petrified in time as her own symbol was not lost to her in that moment. But just like the blossom, it's flower's life could not be saved, but the memory of it.. of her mother.. would be preserved.. for the rest of their lives. This was her responsibility, much greater than any responsibility she had ever faced before, and she had no choice but to bear it. She had to.. it was the only way she could keep going forward.
Lwyn would be found weeping for the rest of the day, clinging hard to the bloodied core that had powered her mother's final moments. With Sxeiva's passing, the fate of the world had finally been chosen, in that one final event.