I get to the next painting. Its frame, it doesn't seem to be normal iron but is very similar to it. The dents and rusted parts also don't seem natural, its more like it was forcibly rusted. The dents aren't in the normal places, from it being moved, no its like someone tried badly to destroy it. The painting itself is ■■■■ holding the banner of the government over a mountain of human, no not human skinwalker, corpses. The banner covers their face hiding it completely. In their hand is a black halberd, the one they had fought me with. It had become a staple during that time. Said to bring fear into both humans and nightmare creatures alike. I step inside the painting finally, I can't be scared at what I'll find. I find myself in a pile of rubble. Loud explosions go off in the distance that rock the whole place. It's Antarctica, the day their cohort came back from their nightmare. A cold wind sweeps throughout the rubble, when i turn to look I see them reforming into their normal form from ice. Its something I'm used to seeing now. Although the original tends to keep their normal human form, war is more willing to abandon it. Nobody actually knows much about the plagues, but they had been corrupted so I'm not shocked a former plague is more then willing to abandon their human form. After a bit of testing heat seeker looks up.
"A gate? No nightmare creatures are coming out. So it doesn't matter, skinwalker is close."
They summon noctis throwing over some condensed ice.
"Go help with the great one I'll fight skinwalker"
noctis seems deeply, and dramatically, outraged. He catches it with a sigh, or at least his movements indicate that, and he flies off. To help anvil of valor defeat the gate guardian i think. I follow ■■■■ until we get to a random civilian.
"Skinwalker."
He stops staring at them blankly for a few seconds then a wide dead eyed smile crosses its face. It's a expression that's been burned into me. Still this all feels odd. Didn't they originally meet anvil of valor then attack? I'm then thrown out. Differences have started to appear. Is that why the frames are rusted and damaged? Not just was it slightly different but ■■■■ seemed more stable. I remember learning that their behavior had become erratic and irrational after the third nightmare, recklessly fighting just about any nightmare creature. Not to mention them stealing from both great clans. It wasn't anything important, but it sent quite the message. I go to the next painting, its in even more damaged then the last. It shows them rushing towards a mirror with their halberd in hand with the background being a ruined castle. It's when the king of nothing tired to take bastion! I remember that they had not participated on it. So in these iron paintings they joined the government and didn't make their own faction. I finally step inside.
On pure instinct I jump back. I then calm down knowing I can't be hit. Gods damn it, the strikes, their too fast. Soul reaper, Athena, Kai, Morgan and heat seeker all fight the king of nothing. Or well prince of nothing at this time. It seems the house of night didn't get involved in this painting.
"How long has it been rival!? How much longer can you go for?! We've been going for months on end, how much longer!?"
Mordret is smiling wider then I've ever seen him. He's having a amazing time fighting the group. Maybe more then a amazing time. Wait.... oh gods, by the words of.... oh gods. Morgan and seishan.... i don't have any right to judge do i? I mean i had very similar feelings on the forgotten shores, at least i got over it. Morgan groans loudly, as if this whole thing has happened countless times
"Oh can it mordret!"
Each of the group deals with about 4 great ranked vessels, while heat seeker deals with about 15. Strings of ice stab into the countless vessels. An army made of ice battles the transcendent vessels. That does remind me, I've only seen noctis since death left. What kind of place needs such fire power? Mordret and ■■■■ speak to each other quietly. I see his face change into something far far sharper.
"Oh is that how it is?"
He starts laughing, he seems more unhinged and unstable then what I knew of him. I'm then thrown out. I quickly rush to the next painting, its even more banged up, so I was right. It seems the more different it is, the more banged up it is. It shows their arm wrapped up in the roots of a massive tree as they struggle to get out. I step inside the painting, a pit of dread forms in my chest.
"What do think I'll let you mind control me!?"
Heat seeker struggles against the saints holding them down as Asterion looks down at them with a smile. It seems their still a saint in this... timeline?
"oh come now I wouldn't call it mind control."
Why am I here? Why am I one of the people holding them down?
"Come on ■■■■ there's really no reason to stuggle"
why and how am i here in this one. I reach up to fiddle with my charm memory, its not here. Why would it be here, this place isn't real. Their memories, or something close to it.
"Caster"
i find myself freezing up at them saying my name.
"I know your strong enough to break through this!"
I doubt that, a saint can never beat sovereign, no matter how hard they try.
"Why would i do that?"
Morgan is here too, so is two of the house of night members. It seems in these paintings they got close to these people, maybe even made up with me.
"God damn it caster! You know sovereigns aren't invincible right!? You can fight back! You don't need bow down at every opportunity!"
They get their arm free, reaching towards that version of me. I find myself reaching out, even that version starts to lift his arm, they've shown the things I thought where law, where nothing more then norms so maybe- Asterion grabs their arm and rips it off in one clean motion
"you've defied me enough. There's no need for more."
The ones holding them down let go and they fall, clutching at what once was their arm, screaming in pain. I hear crunching, I don't want to look at Asterion, but I know what he's doing. God i want to throw up, he's eating their arm.
"Come on ■■■■ we can get you to a healer, just accept the truth lord asterion has shown us."
The version of me leans down putting a hand on their shoulder. I storm forward, even if i can't stop him I can... i don't know what i can do. I grab my other versions shoulder and my vision glitches. I see the fates of the midnight actors guild, who hadn't been able to become saints in time. Seer of the infinite stares up at nightwalker, laughing like a mad man. He seems not to care much reaching out slowly, toying with them with how slow he's moving, to crush her head.
"You'll get nothing! No you'll lose everything! We killed 2 of your saints! And all you'll do is lose by killing us!"
Everyone of them left lift their swords, cutting their heads off. I see the fates of the warm holders each dying, some willingly others not, to the king of nothing. He seems far more unhinged and unstable. I keep seeing the fates of countless people I've gotten to know during this war. Summer knight bleed out in front of seishan, Avery died fighting nightwalker helping Cassia escape him. Even the king of ashes died during the first domain war, corrupted due to the queen of worms. So much death, so many people, dead or being mind controlled. I'm thrown back to my body in the painting. Only a few seconds have passed, but the ice shards are fighting back. Each die one by one. Flame of the divine dies to Asterion, throwing ■■■■ away. Spider queen dies to morgan. Cetus dies to the house of night members. Finally Scarlett. Her body rots away, as skeletons claw their way up from the ground forming a rough human body. I don't see the fight as I'm thrown out, but I know in my heart what happens, Scarlett is finally put down. I bounce as I'm thrown to the ground, rolling. I try to stand but my arms are shaking too much to stand. My chest is too tight I can't breathe right. My arms are sinking. I try to pull myself up, it wasn't real. It wasn't real. None of it happened. None of it is going to happen. God i can't forget the crunching. I want to forget. I barely pull myself out of the black sludge, it smells rotten, with that slight sweet twinge. I pull myself up, each step is a struggle as my feet sink whenever I step. I make it to the last painting, it's barely holding on. It shows them from behind in front of the snow castle, looking up at it. Its in a state of disrepair, likely how it had been before it was fixed up by death. I reluctantly push my body in. I don't want to see what's in it.
They drag themself through the halls.
"damn it, Damn It, DAMN IT! He took my fucking arm! I can't grow it back! He took everything!"
In their hand is mutable broken shards of ice.
"He took them!"
They throw the ice pieces away and they slam their remaining arm into the wall
"I'll fucking kill him!"
They start screaming, over and over and over that they'll kill him. Somethings coming, a massive beast looms over them, the citadels guardian. A great tryant. They look up
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
They run forward, each step is shaky, their barely staying standing.
"Stand down and run."
I try to follow them as they get slammed into the wall
"just run already you aren't going to win"
they get up, ice explodes out and they use it to climb on the beast, using their hands to rip into it. I hear loud cracking as cracks appear from the stump of their arm
"Please just rest already. You've done enough!"
The painting shifts. It's a massive battle, between a more insane king of nothing and the nightmarespawn. They slam into Asterion, screaming, slashing at him. Their going for the eyes.
"Let them go!"
Even when he tries to swat them away they keep screaming
"let them all go you greedy bastard!"
he frowns, clearly getting annoyed and in one hit he takes their head off. I take a few steps back. Out of the corner of my eye I see the horror on mordret's face. Is mine just as horrified. I suddenly find myself in their soul sea. Spreading from the water under me I start to freeze. I grab my leg trying to pull it up, i can hear their soul core, soul cores there's 7 of them.
"I won't die."
I look at them as they slam their hand into the ground
"I won't die!"
Figures all around us seem to come alive, pulling them up.
"I WON'T DIE! ILL SAVE THEM EVEN IF I HAVE TO LOSE EVERYTHING!"
The countless figures break, the shards flow into their soul cores. I'm back to the massive battle, is it the one coming up? Ice forms turning to them and they rush back to fight Asterion, and they break countless times. Always going back to fight him again. Slowly they get stronger and stronger finally i feel that familiar feeling again. Their domain, they had become a sovereign. Finally I'm thrown out.
I wake up with a sharp gasp.
"Caster!"
I look over at Morgan who's by my side.
"Get up, you have to get up"
she pulls me up. What time is it? What happened to Scarlett? She slaps me on the shoulder, knowing she isn't being controlled is almost a relief.
"The battle is about to start come on! Its been days!"