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Chapter 13: Pithos

"Arrrrgggghhhh!" Pandora cried out in pain. "Funnily enough this isn't the first time I had to do this." Sahn sat by her bedside and gripped her hand. "You're not the one doing anything!" She growled back. "Hahahaha I guess not." Sahn laughed. "Now now young lady focus on your breathing." The head of the inn they were staying at was an old woman named Allegra. The town of Apowtch rested about fifteen minutes away from the base of the Centra mountains and the townspeople were some of the nicest Sahn or Pandora had met. When they arrived through the vortex something about traveling like that had forced Pandora into labor. Allegra and the other townsfolk rushed to their aid. "Okay Pandora you're doing great now push." Dr. Moore, the town's physician, directed. Pandora did as she was told. Matched with her breathing she pushed as hard as she could until..."what happened?" Pandora asked. "Did it come out?" Dr. Moore and Allegra were perplexed. "The baby was crowning but now it's just gone." Dr. Moore explained. Allegra began to panic. "What do you mean gone? Where did it go?" Pandora questioned. She looked at Sahn for answers. Sahn however looked agitated by something. He frantically looked around the room for something that wasn't there. "You guys feel that?" He asked. "Sahn our baby vanished! What are you looking for?" Pandora asked. Sahn didn't answer her, he just phased away. Laying on the astral body of her mother was Sahn's daughter but she was physically there like Sahn was, umbilical cord still attached. Sahn gently scooped her up and phased back. Dr. Moore and Allegra were speechless but Pandora's eyes filled with tears when Sahn handed her her daughter. "I must say in all my years of practice I've never witnessed something like uh this." Dr. Moore said while checking over the infant. "She got that from her father." Pandora replied, trying not to make it into a big deal. "Do you have a name for her?" Allegra asked. Sahn shrugged his shoulders and Pandora patted her head gently, "Weilay." She replied. "Oh like the old Queen of the southern continent?" Allegra asked. Pandora smiled. "I've always admired that story." "Is everything alright Sahn?" Dr. Moore asked. Sahn was back to frantically looking around. "No. You guys don't feel that?" A concentrated controlled burst of not-air blasted Dr. Moore spraying the room with his blood and pieces of his flesh. Allegra screamed startling Weilay causing her to cry out. Another blast of not-air blew away Allegra and the wall behind her. "Sahn what's going on?" Pandora asked in a panic. Sahn quickly took Weilay away from Pandora and tried to phase away with her but nothing happened. "I can't phase. She won't let me." Sahn said, staring dumbfounded at his daughter who cooed at him. Another explosion went off somewhere in the building and Sahn helped Pandora out of bed, grabbed her things and the three of them exited the inn with the rest of the terrified guests.

A Vortex appeared in the middle of the town and Mora stepped out of it followed by Cortnae, Babasha, Cerin and two other priests. Panicked townsfolk ran in every direction screaming. The town was barely standing as seemingly random explosions went off around them. Dead townspeople littered the ground and in some places there were just bloody stains. "What's happening here?" Cerin asked but Mora replied with a hand gesture instructing the group to stay where they were. Through the chaos Mora alone had eyed a teenage girl with pail white hair wearing a black dress who seemed to be out of place sitting on some rubble. Mora approached her and kneeled with her head down "Lady Thanata." She greeted the girl. Thanata glanced over at her. "Who are you?" Mora's body language did not betray her nervousness. "Mora, High Priestess of the Sealings." "Oh yeah I remember you. Do you have anything to do with this? This isn't on my list?" Thanata asked, visibly aggravated. "I'm not sure what's happening here, I was merely searching for my daughter." "An Archon was born." Thanata pointed at Sahn and Pandora making their way toward the temple the town was built near. "Who is she talking to?" Cortnae asked. Mora gestured at them to pursue Pandora. The five of them nodded and ran after her.

The ring doors were fastened to the temple wall like picture frames. "Are these it?" Pandora asked while gently rocking the sleeping Weilay. Sahn looked at her. "Are you okay, you just had a baby. I didn't think about it during all that commotion." Pandora smiled gently. "I didn't actually "have her" if you remember. So beside some trauma from whatever was happening in the town I'm okay." Sahn looked puzzled. "Whatever was happening? That was Weilay. She killed those people." Pandora ignored him and gently caressed her daughter's head. "You said there was a magic word to activate the rings?" She asked. Sahn stared at her like he didn't recognize her for a second. "You sure you're okay?" "Mmhmm." She replied, not really paying attention to Sahn. Sahn turned back to the rings. "Now what was that phrase? Uhhhh La-Um-l-L- Ganoover!" One of the rings began to vibrate but after a moment still again. "Damn, it was worth a shot. La-Um-I-H-Ganoover!" A different ring began to vibrate then it detached from the wall. "Can't believe I still remembered it. You ready?" He asked. Suddenly glowing white bars cut Sahn off from Pandora. "No!" She screamed startling awake Weilay. "That's far enough Pandora!" Mora entered the temple with her Priests behind her. "Mother you can't stop me from going!" Pandora protested. "I told you what would happen if you continued with this frivolous fling. That...thing, in your arms is an abomination. It needs to be neutralized and you need to atone for the lives it took!" "Mother she's your granddaughter don't speak about her like that!" Mora took a step closer. "Look how it already warped your mind you can't even see it for what it is." "I'll be a better mother than you ever were!" Pandora screamed back. Mora sighed "She's gone, take her." She ordered the priests. Cerin was the first to move "Wait, don't approach!" Sahn warned but Cerin's eagerness pushed him forward. As soon as he grabbed Pandora's arm he burst, splattering Pandora and Weilay in blood. "Wh-what happened!" Cortnae cried out. Then she too was vaporized by a blast of not-air. "It's Weilay, don't make her aware of your presence!" Sahn explained. Mora quickly deduced the situation and guessed that somehow the infant was distinguishing family from everyone else and attacking who wasn't related, hence her being able to carry a full conversation. "Nobody say anything." Mora ordered, "I'll seal the child then we will apprehend Pandora." The priests nodded. Sahn tried to phase around the bars but with Weilay awake it was like he was locked out of the astral plane. He punched the bars as hard as he could which caused the whole temple to tremble. "I'm sorry Sahn but it's time for you to go." Mora said before placing her palm against the wall. Chains snaked along the wall and positioned themselves behind the active ring door then shot out at Sahn. He avoided the first strike but they kept shooting out. He avoided them until a pair came out of the ground and wrapped around his ankles, then the chains from the wall ensnared him. He struggled while the chains pulled him into the ring. "Sahhhhnn!" Pandora screamed but he was gone and the ring fastened itself back against the wall. "How could you?" Pandora turned back to her mother only to find Mora's palm striking her in her chest. The force pushed her to the ground and caused her to drop Weilay. When she fell, the pot that Sahn had given her rolled out of her bag. Mora caught Weilay and immediately began drawing the sealing symbol on her starting from her forehead and moving down her body's meridians. Pandora recovered and tried to attack her mother but Mora gracefully avoided her daughter's attacks while finishing the markings on Weilay. Pandora started to weave the hand signs to trap Mora in a cage but Mora stomped her foot and a glowing white cage erupted from the ground and encased Pandora. "Noooo! Mother stop!" She cried out. Pandora and the priests watched as Mora picked up the Jar and placed it on the ground next to Weilay. She spoke the words that would seal Weilay away. A shadowy arm emerged from the jar and grabbed the infant and dragged her inside. "Nooooooooooo!" Pandora screamed. The cage sunk back into the ground and the priests quickly apprehended Pandora. Mora cradled the jar in her arms and approached her daughter. She sincerely cupped her daughter's face in her hand. "I know what I've done to you today but I hope in time you will forgive me and recognize what I've done for you." Pandora glared at Mora with tears streaming down her face. "I'll never forgive you. You might as well seal me too because when I get free, and I will, I won't stop until you, all your priests, and everything you've built are nothing but stains on this planet forgotten by everyone." Mora removed her hand from Pandora's face and turned her back to her. "That is a shame." A vortex opened underneath them and they were gone. Two figures entered the temple once the priests had left. "So what you think sis, worthy prospects?" A young man in his twenties walked up to the wall of rings. "Likely. Probably more so the baby, keep an eye on them she will continue to grow even sealed. The power we gave Mora doesn't stop time." Piasa walked up beside her brother. "I should get going, I have my own prospects to tend to. La-Um-I-H-Ganoover!" The same ring Sahn had gone through vibrated and detached from the wall. Piasa stepped through and was gone. The ring positioned itself back on the wall. The young man exited the temple and collapsed the entrance with a snap of his fingers.

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