"I welcome you to the world that once was ruled by divinity." Aqua's voice echoed through every corner, every crevice. Even the air itself echoed.
"You are in the Holy Empire, once home to the most zealous fanatics of the so-called Supreme Deity."
Rolan roamed the mindscape, his will holding strong, his mind a fortress. He would not be broken by mere fabrication.
When it came to mindscapes, a stronger one would always prevail. Neither party would have their magic, and yet it seemed like power radiated from every corner of Aqua's mind.
"Show yourself, elven scum! I shall rewrite your mind quickly if you do not resist! I will even curb my desire for vengeance and will not send you to be used as a pleasure slave if you surrender!" Rolan shouted, his voice echoing, reaching nobody but himself.
While in the mindscape, he could not use many of his abilities, but the battlefield of the mind could be manipulated to create anything one imagines.
And this time it was no different, while this mind was suffocating, Rolan was still able to conjure many items and spells.
And yet, despite his expertise in the ways of the mind, he could not change the terrain of the mindscape.
He had never experienced such a thing since the Great Inquisitor taught him the ways of the mind so many years ago.
Rolan focused his efforts on reshaping the mindscape, forcing a change.
Yet, as soon as the terrain became malleable to his will, it restored itself, resistant to his influence.
"Your efforts are futile; this is not the mind of a powerless little girl. Oh, so-called First Disciple." Aqua's mocking voice cut through him as Rolan pushed himself to seize control of this mind.
"Did you think I would allow someone like you to sneak up on me and invade my mind without a plan?" Aqua mocked him as she appeared, her Angelic form almost blinding.
The mindscape collapsed as the scenery was replaced. Instead of his previous location, he now stood in front of one of the disciples of mind, bound by chains of black flame.
"Perhaps you will learn that your mastery of mind means nothing. My mind and soul are fortresses that none may breach." The mindscape folded in on itself, returning Rolan to the scorched city.
His form was enveloped by black flame, but unlike previous disciples, he resisted. His will was enough to escape. "My plans won't be foiled by elven scum like you! Your kind is destined to serve!"
Rolan ran as fast as he could, and yet distance had no meaning; no matter how much he ran, he never moved from the place where he stood.
"Impossible!" he shouted as he struggled to materialize some kind of power inside this mindscape, and each moment that passed felt like he was getting weakened.
He was losing in a battle of mind against a mere elf. He wouldn't suffer such shame, and yet he knew he was outmatched. The moment he saw the true form of the wench, Rolan knew that he stood no chance.
She was some kind of goddess or divine being in nature, and he needed to escape. All he needed to do was inform the Great Inquisitor, and he would deal with this insolent wench.
He knew not how a goddess passed into Red Dawn without being noticed, but it did not matter; once Inquisitors heard of it, her end would come shortly after, and in the end, she would serve as all non-humans serve.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Goddess... Alas, I know when I am outmatched. Inquisitors shall know about you, I assure you!" Rolan shouted with a mocking tone as his mind started disappearing.
Aqua sighed as the man attempted to escape the scorched city that was her mindscape. She would not let someone as dangerous as Rolan escape so easily, so instead of trapping him, she decided that a man this dangerous needed to die.
With a swipe of her hand, his form was engulfed by black flame; he would be consumed as all before him were.
With a guttural scream, his mind was erased, and yet it seemed like he was not dead. Instead of feeling pleasure as the essence was absorbed, she instead felt empty.
She focused back on the material world as she saw the old man lying on the floor, dead.
Black flame did not work... How? Aqua questioned herself; in all her years of using the cursed black flames, she had never had them fail.
No, it wasn't fully correct to say they failed. But instead, they consumed something different. It consumed something unknown.
"Well, this was a disaster," she said to the silent room, [Paralysis] still holding over Golden Rose, with only the hum of the Phoenix Eggs breaking the silence.
She underestimated the enemy once again. While they weren't powerful, they were certainly crafty. She knew that from this moment forth, Sheira's life was on a short timer.
She slowly approached the burned hulk of a man, his skin and muscles burned beyond recognition.
Azure did a lot of damage to this man, and yet he endured, be it from his constitution or the influence of Rolan. It did not matter.
He was at death's door, and if she did not act now, he would die. His mind was still shackled as he grunted, trying to attack her.
Why do I even care if he dies? I barely cared about Laura, didn't I? She glanced at the phoenix egg before approaching the collapsed Golden Fang.
With a heavy sigh, she placed her hands on the former thrall. She wanted to keep saying she did not care, and yet in all her actions, she proved otherwise.
"I'm such a hypocrite," she said with a smile as tendrils of water and fire rushed out of her hand, like ants building their nest. The flesh was restored.
While he was weaker than before, by courtesy of Rolan, he was still a formidable fighter. Just restoring his body would ensure he lived.
Aqua focused with the intent of unshackling the mind.
While all slaves around the city were twisted beyond repair, Fang and the rest of the Golden Rose were whole in both mind and soul, even if their minds were damaged.
As her gaze pierced the black haze that surrounded Fang's being, she saw what bound him. It was not the curse, it was not divine energy, but something else.
Something more primal and powerful, it was like she was watching a piece of time itself, minuscule as it is, locking the mind.
Despite being a mere speck, it would require great care to remove and not permanently damage Golden Fang.
With a deep sigh, she said, "Why do I do this to myself?"
***
It took Aqua an uncomfortable amount of time to untangle the solidified piece of time from Fang's mind. The process was far from simple; the fragment had embedded itself deep inside Fang's mind. But after painstaking effort and finding a single loose thread, she managed to unravel the intricate weave that bound his mind to the fragment.
Finally, with a gasp of relief, she retrieved the shard. Exhaustion hit her like a wave, and she slumped onto the cold floor. Her fingers curled tightly around the fragment.
The shard was no larger than a crumb, yet it pulsed with impossible power. Its strength did not come from aether. It came from Time itself.
Aqua's eyes narrowed as she studied it, her thoughts swirling. Time was a force beyond even Aether Energy. It was more dangerous.
None should dare to meddle with such a thing. Yet here she was, holding a fragment of a kingdom's idiocy.
Her gaze shifted to the room around her, to the collapsed forms of the Golden Rose members scattered like broken marionettes. Each one bore their own shard. Aqua groaned as she pulled herself to her feet.
"I need to retrieve every fragment," she muttered to herself. The task ahead was daunting, but there was no other choice. With determination in her steps, she moved to the nearest hooded figure.
Golden Fang's fragment had been a nightmare to extract; it was deeply rooted and fiercely resistant. Compared to his, the remaining shards were much smaller, their connections weaker. Untangling them was no less precise, but the effort required was far less demanding.
One by one, she worked through the room, extracting each shard with utmost precision.
As the final fragment was removed, she stood over the still bodies of the Golden Rose members. The oppressive black haze that had surrounded them dissipated the moment their shards were extracted.
Her eyes lingered on the paralyzed forms, and she furrowed her brow. "This black haze... It's connected to the fragments," she murmured, holding the condensed pieces of time in her palm.
They glimmered faintly, their authority minor, yet far too much for most mortals and divine alike.
Though studying them revealed little about their origins, one truth had become glaringly clear: Red Dawn had found a way to manipulate time.
A chill ran down her spine at the thought. Such power should never exist in mortal hands.
Reaching into the void, she summoned a small satchel, its fabric shimmering faintly as though it, too, existed outside normal time. Carefully, she placed the fragments inside, each one vanishing into the enchanted container. Once the last shard was secure, she cast the satchel back into the void, its presence erased from this reality.
Though she longed to study the shards further, there was no time. The incubation would finish in less than two hours, and the two women she'd left behind would undoubtedly be confused when they awoke.
With a final glance at the motionless Golden Rose, Aqua closed her eyes and focused her power. Though Phoenix Eggs were impenetrable, the same couldn't be said of these men. She had a plan to ensure their safety, for now.
"By the grace of the Phoenix, by the cleansing fire that sweeps across the world. Come forth, the soul of my world. Come forth, God of no divinity. Come forth, Sun God!"
The room erupted in flames as a vortex of primal fire swirled into existence. From the heart of the inferno, a phoenix emerged, its fiery feathers shimmering in hues of brilliant orange and red. The creature's form was ever-changing, shifting with each passing moment as though it couldn't decide what shape to take.
"I heard your call," the phoenix said, its voice a mix of crackling flames and melodious chirps. Its fiery eyes turned toward Aqua, studying her with a piercing gaze. "Do you seek my guidance once more, Aqua?"
His form stilled for a moment as he surveyed his surroundings. Then, he tilted his head in recognition. "This isn't my old world."
Aqua smiled, warmth flickering in her eyes as she regarded her old companion. "It's good to see you, dear friend. And no, this is a different world."
The phoenix, often called Sun God, was more than a mere being. It was the living avatar of her old world's soul; he was the world itself. Despite its divine title, it held no true divinity, and yet its power dwarfed that of even most cosmic terrors. It had been her first mentor, teaching her the ways of flame and the delicate art of aether conversion.
For a moment, the creature's ever-changing form froze, as though in deep thought. When it said again, its voice carried a note of frustration. "Then I cannot remain here long. The world soul of this place is already rejecting me. I prefer not to force my stay."
Aqua's expression grew serious. "I know I ask much of you," she began, her tone soft yet firm. "But could you guard these people until they wake? I can't say how long the world will tolerate your presence, but I would be deeply grateful."
The phoenix ruffled its fiery feathers, its annoyance palpable. "You ask much of me."
Though it irked her companion, Aqua couldn't hide her excitement. The very fact that she had summoned him proved that the border between worlds could be crossed even without traversing the cosmic storms.
However, just as she thought about the old world, she curbed it. What reason did she have to return to that cursed world? There was nothing left for her. Her actions had seen to that.
Her old world had burned beneath her flames, its civilizations reduced to ashes. She hadn't regretted it then, and she didn't regret it now. A world so scarred by sin had needed to be purged, its divine parasites eradicated. From its ashes, new life would rise, a life untainted by the gods' tyranny.
"Aqua, I will do this favor for you," the phoenix said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Only because I consider you my daughter."
Aqua nodded her head, her gaze resolute.
The phoenix sighed a deep sound that resonated with the crackle of flames. "Very well. I will guard these mortals. But you owe me." Its form shifted again, growing to the size of a vulture before expanding further to match Aqua's height.
Relief flooded her, and without thinking, she threw her arms around the fiery creature. The embrace threatened to crush its formless body, but she didn't care. "Thank you, teacher. I'll be back soon!"
Aqua couldn't resist herself as she kissed the phoenix, ignoring Sun God's rising temperature that would melt most mortal beings.
The phoenix squawked in protest, its flames flaring brightly. "You really do treat a world soul like it's a mere beast!"
Aqua laughed, releasing the phoenix as it thrashed its wings and flew a short distance away. Its form settled briefly, glowing with a deep red hue.
"You truly are insufferable," it muttered before settling near the motionless Golden Fang. "Go. I'll watch over them."
With a grateful smile, Aqua turned and dashed out of the building. There was no time to lose. The incubation was nearly complete, and her work was far from over.