To say the situation was bad would be a historiderstatement. Sonya tried to pull herself to her feet, but she just felt… helpless. How could she not have anticipated an atta the Seattle dungeon? No. There was no prece for this in the previous timeline. Artificially instigating a dungeon break, let alowo in a single day? Madness. Things were hard enough back then without people experimenting with dungeons. Did I cause this by stopping the New York bst and stabilizing hero culture early? She chewed her lip, her mind reeling, her eyes tig over as she searched for solutions. Her wrist hurt so bad, it was distrag. I want to rip my damn hand ht now!
You couldn’t have known, calm down and think, Ishtar tried to soothe her.
hua is in there! Sonya barked back, You don’t uand!
Sonya! How would I not-
I o do something!
Ishtar sighed, Panig is not going to help matters, Ishtar pointed out as Setsuna and Shuta reached her side. She sat there on the ground in that hallway, her head rested against the wall as she tried to think. Sensible thought pushed away by the fear of losing someone she loved all ain. Terror at the idea of a dungeon break cascade with so few heroes nearby to put a stop to it. This wasn’t like Tokyo with guilds nearby ready to react. Blood dripped from her lip.
“Lady Ishtar?” Shuta called out, “What has happened?”
She closed her eyes, her shoulders shaking. It felt like her head was going to explode, “The people who caused the Tokyo break are attag an epigeon near Seattle,” she said hoarsely.
Setsuna frowned o her, “See this, I did not.”
Sonya snorted, “No power is perfect,” she said coolly before fog on the call with Amos, “Amos are you still there?”
<“I am, are you okay?”> he asked.
“What do you think?” she asked with an angry ugh, “Of course I’m not. Have you told the Pandora ittee?”
<“I alerted them before tag you,”> he said before hesitating, <”Euclidia is having trouble opening a portal anywhere he dungeon.”>
She ched her jaw, “Halloway. I’ll turn him to ash when I get the ce,” she snarled and tried again to get to her feet, leaning against the wall. The fright gave way to anger. A false strength, she knew, but it gave her enough will to move again. She turned and leaned against the wall, running her fihrough her hair. She had to figure out a ter, had to stop this, somehow. She had preparatio up for a final battle with Liberty but, not yet. She needed more time, she had to figure out Liberty’s weakness. There was a trick to her power, she k, not just the people. There was more there. “Fuck,” she swore, “What do I do?”
<”The Seattle guild?”> Amos offered.
“That’d be suicide, they’d all die against Liberty. Evergreen had to retreat,” she said and started to pace, Setsuna and Shuta watg her as she thought. No, the Seattle guild won’t be able to respond. The bulk of the iional team is here in Japan and Halloway is blog them anyway. Her lip twitched as her mind distracted her, Is First Wind here? Is Qilin? She wrinkled her nose in disgust, Could I leverage Qilin's e to Ishtar? No, that bond isn’t deep enough yet. I locked her fortune power away as well, what good is she in this situation?
The army I had Kingshark build isn’t fully formed and they’d be positioo attack elsewhere. They won’t do any good here, she paced, frantic. Think! Think, Sonya, Think!
She clicked her tongue, I leave myself? Go over there and deal with the problem? I could portal in and move fast. She scowled, No. I throw around a lot of power but I produce a lot of mana too. I’d just make things worse if I didn’t get inside fast enough. I’d need a mythic with a lot of efficy, but who could I send?
She rubbed her face, I also made a deal with Cass, I ’t- she shuddered, the pulsion from Broker rising up ihroat as the idea of breaking her deal about a final frontatioween sisters. But I o- she squeezed her eyes shut as the pulsion filled her revulsion again. For the first time since her regression, she resented her new ability. There has to be something, a card I py.
There is one card, a high-efficy mythic at your disposal. Ishtar pointed out, Your long term tingency.
Sonya froze before her lips pressed together in a thin lihat was for Otis, she growled, or for when the heroes needed a wake-up call. If I py it now…
Sonya, do you have a choice? Ishtar asked.
I ’t use that card more than once! Sonya railed, One and dohat’s it! The sequences of doing that, for i people. It’s the nuclear option! Even if it's successful, and that’s a big if because of the logistics- she shook her head. It’s like admitti. I might stop Liberty but she’ll have taken one of my teeth! My biggest-
I won’t make the choice for you, Ishtar said, But as a vilin… Ishtar trailed off.
Sonya let out an agonized groan as she ran her fihrough her hair again aed her face against the etal wall. She didn’t care that she’d lost her posure in front of people who had built a cult around her. It didn’t matter. What she was sidering doing was not an easy choice. She fumed, raged, thrashed against the idea. If I do this, there’s no going back, she thought. If I cross this li feels like…
You won’t be the hero you were anymore, Ishtar cluded for her, You’ve done vilinous things before, put on a good show. This will be on a whole other level, though, Ishtar trailed off for a moment before speaking, I fail to see the problem. This is what you wao be the enemy of the world. It’s just another part of being who we are.
But-
It’s time to choose, Sonya! Ishtar bellowed in the back of her mind, Are you Farsight or are you Ishtar? Are you a hero or are you a vilin? Are you going to do whatever it takes to save the world and damn the sequences? Are you that person you swore you would be when you were sent ba time? What does that promise to Pandora mean to you?
“RAAAAH!” Sonya bellowed and smmed her fist into the wall, g it iirely. Setsuna and Shuta jumped ba surprise as she ripped her bloody hand out of the wall, “DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!” She roared, crushing the metal into scrap and tossing it aside in a tantrum. The fury present at the back of her mind roiled up like an angry serpent, squeezing at her heart. She couldn’t let hua die. She couldn’t let the Seattle dungeon break. Millions would die. If that meant crossing the line…
She slumped and lowered her head, “Fine,” she muttered, “Amos?”
<”...yeah boss?”>
“I’m crag the egg,” she said hollowly. The e was quiet for several seds, she could only imagine Amos’ horrified expression. She closed her eyes, “I uand if you don’t-”
<”I’ll set the e up, it’ll take time. What do you need me to do?”> he asked quickly.
She felt a lump form ihroat, “Amos, I-”
<“I told you, I’m with you to the end, boss. We’re the bad guys, remember? We’ll deal with it in hell,”> he said with a hoarse ugh, <”Now what do you need?”>
She looked down at her hands, she wao cry out of gratitude but her damn eyes wouldn’t allow it. Her mind ticked over, her thoughts whirring.
Tick … tick … tick
“The Nexus,” she said, “I need a direct e to Euclidia’s system. It’s the only way I leverage this,” she said as she explored her powers instincts, “It’ll be a strain, but I might be able to push through Halloway’s interference.”
<”I’m on it. Let me know when you’re ready,”> he said.
“Thank you, Amos,” she said hollowly before turning to the two with a sober expression. She squared her shoulders, “I need a room where I trate, ohat’s well defended. I’m about to draw a lot of attention.”
Shuta frowned, “What-”
“Done,” Setsuna said quickly, cutting her son off, “Prote?”
She nodded, “I don’t think I’ll be able to defend myself while doing this,” she said as she worked through what she’d have to do in her mind. She took a deep breath and tried to rex, the anger wasn’t going to help. She o be at ease if she was going to do what she o do. She tried to smile, but it wouldn’t e, her glowing eyes dimming. I ’t call Marta to protect me, given what’s going on outside. She’ll be ed up. But I have other options. She looked up a Setsuna’s dark eyes, “Lead the way.”
–
Euclidia frowned, crossing her arms as she trated on that spot near Seattle. She felt that interference again, a powerful light-touched blog her ability to create portals. That person's range had grown again, the new edge was so far away it ointless at this point. She turned her eyes to the Nexus, “Gravitic, you got anything for me?”
“It’s definitely Rift,” Gravitic said, as he examined a s, “It’s Liberty making a move. I’m gettis that the i is flushed with word that Ishtar caused the Tokyo i, but everything points the other way.”
Euclidia spat on the ground, her good humor lost, “A war between supervilins and i people are caught up in the middle. These people are monsters,” she said, “ team! Is First Wind still in that dungeon?”
“Yes ma’am!” One person shouted.
She bit her thumbnail, “Do we have anyone fast enough that could also ter Liberty?” she murmured, Chuchu, please be okay.
As her thoughts rolled over on this test puzzle, an arm sounded overhead. She looked up and squinted, “The hell? What’s that? Are we utack?” She barked only for the lights in the room to turn red and begin to fsh. The ss around them all flickered, fizzling out before turning dark. Then a pink eye appeared on them. She stiffened, “Ishtar!” she shouted and whirled to the others, “tact our eech team, get them in here! NOW!”
–
Sonya stood over Setsuna’s bed, her eyes trag the fabric for a moment before she sat down. She gnced over her shoulder at Shuta and his mother, looking them in the eyes. “Do not let anyone inside,” she said quietly, “I ’t spare the energy to call in any of my people if I want to do this successfully,” she said, “I’m ting on you.”
Setsuna nodded and dipped into a low bow, “Certainly,” she said and turo her son, “Shuta?”
He stiffened and drew his sword. He ersely and turned away, marg down the hall, “With my life.”
Sonya let out a sigh and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs as the doors shut behind the departing pair. Soon, she was alone. She took a few steadying breaths to calm her mind. It was impossible though, even after managing to find her groove in the Bas it was like the world was determio push her to the brink. She set her jaw and closed her eyes. I don’t know if I really do this.
I am here, I will do all I , Ishtar said, You are not alone.
She pressed her lips together, her g as she felt emotion bubbling up again. She lowered her head and reached out to Amos. This was her only option. Her nuclear option. Her hidden card. To think she would have to py it against her sed Herald. Humiliating. Embarrassing. Infuriating. She ched her teeth and tried to shift her mi. Who the hell does Liberty think she is? This is my world, she swore, This is my world and if she thinks she get away with it, she is dead wrong. What kind of person thinks they do these things and believes that there will be no sequences?
A vilin, Ishtar said, That is the mi of a Vilin.
Sonya paused, a frown f on her lips, Wait-
<”It’s ready,”> Amos said before Sonya could refle the bombshell that Ishtar just dropped on her.
She swalloulled her mind back to the moment, responding internally, <”Do it.”>
Information poured into her brain, her head jerking back as her minds eye spread across the entire p in an instant. Coordinates, data, pathways and calcutions intended solely for the use with the Non-Euclidian ability began streaming into her brain like a stream. Sending a portal to one pce was easy for her, like breathing, but what she o do now required a level of calcution that her cyberid alone wasn’t up to the task to perform. She needed more processing power, more information, more everything. She felt her mind tremble uhe onsught for a moment before she pulled herself back to her senses. She let out a shaky breath, <”I’m good,”> she wheezed, <”. ect me.”>
<”Whies?”> Amos asked.
<”All of them, no holding back,”> she said.
She felt her teopathy widen in scope, her senses reag into puter systems across the p from her. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she gripped her thighs tightly. Her chest heaved and she willed herself to stay clear headed.
I will speak for you, be my duit, Ishtar said, What es , though. Only you endure.
–
Graff finished his st sit-up, getting zily to his feet. He yawned and walked over to the cot in the solitary fi room. Sitting down and taking off his shoes. Another day in peaceful silence away from all the people that made him want to burhing to the ground. He rolled onto his bad looked up at the ceiling, smiling to himself. Once he decided to escape, he figured he’d go knock over a monastery somewhere and live there for the rest of his life. He reached up to run his fihrough his hair. Yeah, that’d be nice.
A siren bred a up, frowning a little. Loud. What’s going on?
A chime rang out followed by a voice he’d only heard on the news before. A cruel rasp that echoed through every hall in the building. He got to his feet as a surge of something he hadn’t felt in a long time worked its way through him. Excitement.
“I am Ishtar,” the voice said, “It is time, I have a task for you, my vilins. Do this and you may sider as to me paid. I have rewards prepared as well.”
He cracked a grin and walked to the door to the cell. The inactive suppression cuffs on his wrists dissolving and cttering to the ground before he pced his hand on the door. It crumbled into dust aepped out. The guard to his right jumped away immediately. He looked down at the guy and gri him, “I’ll see myself out,” he said with a ugh before turning away, his grin widening as the guards scrambled to get away from him.
Finally! You called!
–
Sonya gruhrowing her hands forward where she sat. She reached out across the p, her mind focused in so many pces at o was dizzying. She curled her fingers and pulled, feeling the power in her Heavenly Jade Heart pour out like a broken dam. She focused, one end of the first portal f he first of the prisons. She tugged at it to ect it to the other end a resistance. Halloway, she thought. She eased her breathing and tried to rex. e on…
Vines began to grow out of the bed and around her body, her skin turning paler, glowing faintly with off white light as she activated Visage of Titania to its fullest extent. Not just to create and trol the eerie pnts, she needed every facet of its power. She felt it infuse her body, spread through her. That little mote of light in her wrist turned into dozens, little tiny sparks phroughout her body. Then it reached her mind. She grunted as it touched her thoughts for the first time. She’d never gohis far with it before. It felt… unstable. Willful.
Sonya, Ishtar cut into her thoughts, This might not be-
I ’t go baow! Sonya shot back, I’ve made my choice, you pushed me here.
Sonya, Visage-
She pushed Ishtar’s words out of her thoughts and trated, g her teeth until she felt one of them crack. That tingling at the back of her mind, the anger she’d been experieng, the instability, the fury - it exploded in a fireball in her brain. Madness. Jumbled thoughts and fusing images bounced about in her mind, scattering her for a moment before she willed her thoughts bato order. No you don’t, behave! She snarled, grabbing hold of the power. It was her power. It didn’t have a will of its own, but its effects were daunting. She ched her fists, digging her nails into her own flesh as blood leaked from her palms and nose. Sweat beaded on her brow and she pushed.
Let me in, she growled, Let me in you son of a bitch!
She could see the web of red energy in her mind's eye, a wall between her aarget, a stabilized space that couldn’t be altered. She smashed against the wall, a raging will that crashed into it like a tidal wave. It buckled at the target location, shuddering uhe pressure. She hit it again, and again, and again, blood leaking freely from her nose and ears. She felt her eyes begin to spin faster and faster, pain wrag her body as she drew on more and more power from her core. She needed more, MORE!
LET ME IN!
Her rage hit its zenith, the madness of the Visage spreading through her mind as that red web finally cracked and broke open. A hole appeared, opened just for her. She shoved her will into the spad phe other end of the portal.
That’s one, she growled and created the . She repeated the process, her chest heaving as blood began to drip from her eyes.
Tick tick tick tick tick.
Her mind whirled with the calcutions as she created another pair of portals between new points on the world. She coughed and reached out to the third prison.
Hang in there, Sonya, Ishtar urged, Just a few more.
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK
She smashed through Halloways barrier again, the process being easier even as the strain on her body increased manifold. Eaew portal maintai the same time adding pressure. The tig in her head grew louder, faster, and more irregur. She was ed by the process, the i, barely herself anymore. The vines coiled around her body, up to her throat and head. The little sparks throughout her body grew as they ached and groaned within her flesh. The vines held her steady as white light streamed out of her upturned mouth. Cracks formed on her skin but she didn’t have the tration avaible or energy to spare to create ambrosia to heal herself. She could only ehe agony.
TICKTICKTICK TICTI-TICKT-T-TICKK
Another portal, and another, she could feel the weight of light-touched passing through it. Each presence a rain on her mind momentarily as she facilitated their passage. More weight to carry. She coughed up somethi and coppery, her ski cold even as her bones burned from the i.
LIBERTY! I WON’T LET YOU WIN! NEVER! EVER! THIS IS MY WORLD!
The portals took shape o a time until all eight of them had formed. She shuddered as the pressure on her mind increased. More and more vilins passed through to answer her call. The ons and unons were negligible, the rares and epics began to pressure her, a pair of heroics sent a jolt of pain through her spihen another preseouched a portal. One she had been waiting for. A person she’d never met in person but knew much about. The one she was ting on the most.
He passed through.
TIC-TI-TI-TI-TI-TRRRKKKKCKKKKKKKK!
Something cracked. She could hear it. Pain in her head. In her eyes. She felt something streaming down her face as she swayed on the bed. Something hard fell out of her head. She opened her eyes and saw only darkness. The rage had passed, a fire that burned her from the inside and out. The madness of Visage of Titania left devastation in its wake. Her body, her soul, everythi hollow. All she knew were those stars in her body, pulling her in, drawing her close. She barely noticed the vines loosen their grip on her as the pain she’d pushed away finally caught up with her.
SONYA! Ishtar shouted into her mind, SONYA HANG IN THERE! SONYA!
Sonya fell onto her side as her lifesblood poured out of her. Heavenly Jade Heart felt empty for the very first time. This was her limit. She only hoped it was enough. She didn’t hear the doors open as she slipped into unsciousness.
