“I know.” Maeve’s words tasted like ash in her mouth.

What else could she say?

What could any of them do?

They were so infuriatingly new to this, having set out on what was supposed to be a low stakes Guild Request. Not that entities like Malady or Calamity ever seemed to care. Was it too much trouble to ask them to find somewhere else in the world to cause trouble?

"So.” As Malady’s eyes looked over the party, they seemed to linger on Maeve. “Shall we put an end to this?"

Soleil looked up. First to Malady, then to Maeve.

There was no light or fire or hope in Soleil’s eyes.

Only fear.

"I… can't see any other way." Soleil admitted aloud.

It was so simple. In that moment, Maeve was willing to do anything and everything for Soleil.

Maeve started by trying to be as gentle as she could. “So. You're going with her."

The response was less a nod, and more Soleil allowing her gaze to once more fall to the ground.

Maeve reached out to rest a gloved hand on Soleil's shoulder. Anything to keep her from turning away. She just needed a few moments. "Can I say goodbye at least?"

Malady's four eyes narrowed.

"I'll let you have her afterwards." Maeve set her jaw. "I promise."

Maeve had every intention of breaking that promise. Even if Malady expected it, no, especially if she did.

"Very well. But just you. The rest will remain hostages." The personification of Rot mana turned a malicious glare to the rest of the party.

“If they’re surrendering, we do too.” Aster seemed quick to add. She was even willing to surrender her sword to the nearest set of vines.

Satisfied, Malady recalled her minions.

Soliel looked around, at everyone in turn. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Aster assured her. “You did better than anyone could have expected of you.”

Maeve turned to offer Malady her thanks, but the fiend seemed in a hurry to shoo her away with a dismissive wave. "Go express the concerns of your short lived companion elsewhere. We will outlive these withering mortals.”

Malady was speaking over her like she was not even deserving of the attention. No matter. Maeve had what she needed: Time alone with Soleil and an intent to make the most of it.

After guiding Soleil outside the clearing of trees by the hand, Maeve turned to embrace Soleil.

"I'm sorry Maeve." Soleil buried her face in the crook of her knight's neck. "I know I've been reckless. Maybe if I just-"

Maeve brushed at Soleil's red locks. "None of that now. You made your choices and we were happy to follow you. I can't think of anyone who would willingly accept corruption in order to understand what it felt like to wield your powers against others."

That got a wistful sigh from the young demon. "It's funny. It hasn't really bothered me once we started fighting."

"It doesn't matter then.” Maeve declared. “It is nice to hear that no amount of existential dread and wrongness can distract you from what is important."

Soleil hummed at the thought. "I like that sentiment, but I did think it insufferable when we first encountered Malady. It was like I could smell corruption in the air."

Maeve wondered where to even begin to offer Soleil an explanation. “All of them, the bad demons.” She gave Soleil a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry, I can’t think of better words at this moment.”

“I know. It’s okay.” Soleil found it in her to giggle. “We’re not exactly having a great day..”

Maeve still managed to look apologetic. “The… um, I am going to call them Fiends. They all wield corruption in some way that spreads it. Malady tends to focus on the plants, but there have been reports of her twisting architecture and Magitech Armors against us.”

“I… don’t even want to think about that right now.”

“It’s what she intends to turn you into. An agent that works on her behalf. Every Covenant works like an ever deepening set of promises. The first few ranks are just a taste and a claim.”

“Oh. Was making a promise with Calamity… bad?”

“Only you can decide that. In this instance, I don’t think you were wrong. But Caesar, Irellia, and I are all the Everqueen’s Champions. We go out and pull out corruption by the root wherever we can find it.”

“Oh.” Soleil’s eyes lit up. She soon began to wear a thoughtful expression.

“See something you like?” Maeve said with a small smile.

“[Analyze] hit Rank 3. I was just looking at your Covenant. The Everqueen is stingy, isn’t she?”

“I… uh, did not need much convincing.” For Maeve it had always been more about lofty ideals than anything else. “Can you do me a favor and not read the description aloud? I don’t want to know what mana thinks of me.”

Soliel nodded, smiling warmly. “The description is fitting. I like the idea of a selfless group of protectors.” Soleil began to rest her head on Maeve’s shoulder.

“Yeah. Well, I’m kinda feeling really selfish right about now.”

“I know.” Soleil whispered. “I don't want to say goodbye either."

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Maeve let the silence stretch before tightening her grip. "Do you trust me?"

"I…" Soleil pulled away just enough to meet Maeve's eyes. "Of course."

“I’m serious. What I had in mind is dangerous enough for the both of us. But it is something I ultimately think Malady would allow.”

Soleil did not seem all that certain. She shook it off. “I can handle dangerous.”

Maeve pressed her forehead to Soleil’s, her voice falling to a conspiratorial whisper. “Have you experienced any memories that might put you in the shoes of someone far more powerful than you?”

“Not recently. No.” Soliel shook her head. “What am I looking for?”

“New skills or insights.” Maeve said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and not mining traumatic memories for power.

That this felt like an abuse of her relationship with mana was written all over Soleil’s face. “There was a moment when I stood on the beach as one of Aliza’s companions. I found myself wielding a whole lightning spell and desperate to use it by the time I came out of it. I think [Lightning Mastery] ranked up, but didn’t think much of it at the time.”

Maeve deflated at that. “That’s a common enough experience. But I was hoping you had come across a skill that was too big for you otherwise.”

Soliel thought back. “Calamity said she only gave me things that would get me through the low levels.”

“There’s a reason for that. A lot of them, actually.”

That got a concerning lack of reaction from Soleil.

“Have you ever tried to lift something too heavy for you? Imagine trying to do that with your soul.”

It took Soleil a moment. “Wait. Do you mean that my skills causing level drain and mana corruption are because I’m too weak?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Maeve said with a sigh. “This was always going to be a long shot.”

“I’m sorry.” Soleil almost pulled away at that.

“You have nothing to apologize for. This is in no way your fault.”

***

Soliel found herself in darkness.

“Forgive me.”

Her own voice was a familiar one, Nadir’s. Would the pronoun swap to Xe in this instance? Or was she herself?

“This is not in any way, shape, or form, your fault." A strong voice answered the first, steadying Soleil’s drifting thoughts and grounding her in the moment. Brigid’s voice had a tendency to instill the thought that one could weather anything.

“I wasn’t strong enough.” Soliel and Nadir whined.

“You are under no obligation to withstand a Demon like Malady.”

“What if I could, though? Become one of Ursula’s Shades?”

The deep breaths were interrupted by a deeper sigh. “Only if you want to.”

“I’m dying, Brigid.”

“You can come back from that.”

“But I’d lose all my memories. It’d be the same body, just Soul Level One.”

“I’d stay with you and protect you.”

What an absurd notion. Soliel refuted it. “But what if I didn’t fall in love with you again?”

“I’d suffer through it until you did or found a quiet and peaceful life somewhere.”

It became clear that Nadir had been sobbing for a while. ““No. You’ve suffered enough. It’s time for me to make a change.”

“You are sure?”

Silence.

Brigid was patient. Soliel liked to think that Maeve would be too.

“I’m scared.”

“I know. I am too.”

“What if she convinces me to become something I despise?”

“She won’t. Ursula takes pity on broken things. You know that.”

“I have nothing to offer her. No bargaining power or promises filled in her name.”

“Then give her everything that you despise. I will love the absence of you all the same.”

“Okay. I think I am going to let go now.”

No. Soliel needed the memory to last longer.

She reached for her own Sensitivity, only to be met with the realization that Nadir had done something to remove xemself from the scene.

***

Soliel pulled away in horror, letting go of a Sensitivity fueled [Analyze.] It had been telling her new things, but nothing useful. The memory she slipped into matched up with her despair and something Malady said about arranging circumstances that worked on Nadir.

“Are you okay?” Maeve had slipped off her gloves at some point, pressing a bare hand to wipe at Soleil’s cheek.

“I…” Soleil wanted to refuse the idea that she had been crying, but Maeve’s touch was reassuring.. “Was about to tell you I wasn’t strong enough.”

“I know. You fell into a memory. I heard your half of it at least.”

Soliel bit her lip. The memory had included a declaration of love. “It was a memory of Nadir. My other mother was there too. It almost lined up with the circumstances we’re in now.”

Maeve’s cheeks were red, but she mercifully stayed on topic. “Do you think there is something there?”

Soliel shook her head. “I don’t think so. But it did remind me of another memory. One I don’t like thinking about.”

Malady chose that moment to announce her presence. They were running out of time. “Are you two planning on being done anytime soon?” Malady stood with arms crossed. Two trees flanked her ominously.

“Do you trust me?” Soleil quickly said with her eyes alight.

“Yes.” Maeve agreed. “Anything you need.”

“I…” Soliel pulled away from Maeve’s grip. “I need you to cut off my arm.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Maeve thought much the same. But she drew her sword. “You’re sure?”

“I need to go back to the moment where my mother, Brigid, defeated Calamity.” Whether she learned skills from Brigid or Calamity was irrelevant. They had matched each other’s capabilities in that moment.

“No!”

Malady’s distress was all the confirmation Maeve needed.

Soleil's sworn Knight carried out her responsibility.

Murderous cries spurred the corrupted plants to action, but all that was drowned out by the pain of what had just occured.

It was everything Soleil could do to channel fire and heat into sprouting [Calamitous Wings.]

The agonizing pain and choice of skill combined were enough to temper the sudden loss with a familiar memory.

Maeve’s sword was replaced by Brigid’s axe.

No matter. Losing a limb was a triviality, really.

There was nothing an abundance of mana could not replace.

Soleil gained knowledge of the skill [Awakening of Fire.] The skill’s rank is limited by ranks in the Covenant: Calamitous Herald.

Something within Soleil broke, dragging her out of the memory. Everything hurt.

She opened her eyes to find that she was now channeling far more mana than her Soul Level should allow.