"Why resist? Why not just accept what I'll turn this world into? My war is the last in a series of far more heinous crusades carried out by small petty men and women, yet with me is where you draw the line? Why? All I aim to do is protect this world and its inhabitants from themselves." Thuren descended and stood atop his crumbling palace surrounded by flames and mud, and stared down at the group that assembled to stand against him and waited for their answer. "Enough of this." Xochi snarled while handing Notus to Mul. "Boy. You can seal him?" She asked Lukohé who was surprised by the question. "That's Sahn's theory but he hasn't told me how." Lukohé replied. Xochi's eyes snapped to Sahn. "How long will it take for you to teach him?" Sahn shrugged his shoulders. "As long as it takes him to learn it." Mul and Xtabay braced themselves for Xochi's response. "Fine," she said "Lets see how many times I can kill him before you're ready. Xtabay, Mul keep them safe." Xochi ordered. "But mother," Xtabay began to protest until Xochi flashed a pair of feline eyes that she had never seen at her. The symbol Piasa placed on her shoulder began to glow. Xtabay recognized what was happening to her mother as a transformation but unlike her own, her mother seemed able to achieve a partial transformation. Her eyes shifted to a feline variant and her fingernails grew into claws. Her petite physique also doubled in size while golden leopard spots appeared in her hair. Xtabay was shocked at her mother's transformation. "Get started." Xochi commanded Sahn and Lukohé. They nodded and she turned her attention to Thuren. An obsidian mirror appeared in front of her. After a second Piasa's masked appeared in the reflection. "Little Xochi, you never call." Piasa's tone was condescending. "I need access." Xochi replied. "But you have access little queen. You know what it means to ask for more." Piasa answered, barely paying attention. "I know, just open the channel." Xochi ordered. Piasa shrugged but a sinister smile formed under her mask. "Okay, it's opened." "Then get out of my face." Xochi waved her hand and the mirror vanished. Electricity began to arc around her left hand. The sensation was familiar to her and Xtabay. "Xolo?" Her brother's name escaped her lips in a whisper. Xochi scowled. "That bitch." She allowed the electricity to continue dancing around her hand and looked up at Thuren. He smiled, "Finally ready to test your world against mine?" "Shut up." Xochi replied. In an instant she appeared beside Thuren and delivered a kick that sounded like thunder. Thuren effortlessly blocked it without changing his position. "It seems your world is weak." He taunted." An explosion of scarlet flames ignited where her leg connected with his arm and the force staggered him long enough for Xochi to position herself behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and lifted him into the air then suplexed him through the roof of his palace. The two crashed into the dinning hall and the rubble from the roof fell on them. Xochi burst from the rubble holding Thuren by his leg and hurled him through the wall in front of her. She inhaled and expelled a torrent of scarlet flames from her mouth that followed Thuren into the next room quickly turning it into a scarlet inferno. A reality tear opened up in the floor under her and a tentacle shot up at her. She jumped back to avoid it and two more tears opened up where the ceiling used to be and tar tentacles shot out of those. Electricity danced around her claws as she slashed both tentacles apart. A second later the room was filled with reality tears and tentacles attempting to ensnare the queen. She danced around the room avoiding and slashing tentacles until there wasn't enough room for her to move and several tentacles wrapped around her and held her in place. Xochi roared and released an explosion of scarlet flames from her body so powerful it destroyed the entire palace. Outside Xtabay quickly transformed and coiled around the group shielding them from the explosion. When the blast subsided Xtabay shifted back to her human form. "I'm going to help." She told Mul. "Wait." Mul held his hand in front of her to stop her. "Stay here like your mother said, I'll go." She began to protest but she trusted the look in his eyes. "Fine." She replied. Mul turned to Lukohé who was intently listening to Sahn's haphazard explanation. "Lukohé can I borrow your dagger?" Lukohé without taking his eyes off of Sahn gestured for the sand to emerge out of the mud in front of Mul with Zephyrs. "Thanks." Mul said while pulling the blade from the sand. "What are you doing?" Xtabay asked while Mul placed Notus Zephyrs and Eurus on the ground in front of him. "I have a feeling." Is all he replied. After a moment the blades pulled together and melted into each other forming a longsword with the tip of the blade missing. Xtabay frowned, "what are you going to do with a broken sword?" Mul smiled, "We'll see."

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