In a great realm, not fully material, stood a massive castle with a frozen forest stretching out behind it. The forest was vibrant with life, its trees in full bloom, yet every branch and leaf was encased in frost.
Even the stones seemed alive, granting shelter to moss and small animals. But if one looked closer, they would feel the cold, looming and oppressive beneath the surface beauty.
The leaves were crimson, the color of blood, and the trees themselves seemed to bleed, thick red sap oozing from their bark. They were covered in ice, and crystal spiders crawled across their frozen limbs, their bodies glimmering like shards of glass.
The castle was a contradiction given form. One side burned with living flame, a safe haven for small creatures, warm and nurturing. The other side lay dead and decayed, its halls littered with skeletons and echoes of despair. From one side flowed pure, life-giving water. From the other, molten lava bubbled and hissed, housing creatures born of nightmare.
High above, on the castle's roof, many figures gathered in heated debate.
"They enter our world and mold it to their design," said a towering figure, its form hidden beneath a cloak of blinding light, two suns burning where its eyes should be. "Fate is changed, and the great game is disrupted by an outsider."
"They have tainted the innocence and purity of the world we built," said a smaller figure, the shape of a young girl shrouded in white cloth from neck to toe, her pale face the only thing visible.
"I say they will bring hope to our creation," rasped an old woman whose robes were woven from words of wisdom. "And perhaps they will put an end to your petty game, a game built on the suffering of innocents."
"I agree with the old crone," said another voice, this one belonging to a woman with golden hair, a great tiger lounging at her feet.
Grumbling rose from the assembly, smaller figures below whispering furiously among themselves.
"Where is the Stranger?" demanded the figure cloaked in light.
"He is at the end," the old woman replied, her tone cryptic. "And he does not care for this matter."
A sudden, chilling silence fell over the gathering as every being present turned their gaze downward. The figure cloaked in light trembled with rage.
"I will descend and kill the mortal myself!" it roared. "How dare he return to my world!"
A deep, guttural sound followed, like the crashing of waves against stone. A voice rose from the void, ancient and immense:
"I will sink that island and swallow it whole."
From the darkness, a grotesque eye opened, followed by a massive, green body covered in mismatched eyes, hands, and gills twisted into unnatural places. A stench of decay filled the hall as the monstrous figure emerged.
A staircase of pure darkness descended from the roof of the castle to the realm below. Marching down were legions of twisted beings: men and half-fish hybrids, warped and wrong. At their head strode the figure of light and the green monstrosity, leading their army toward war.
Before they could advance further, a blinding pillar of light shot down from the black sea above. From it emerged a vast silver serpent, followed by a towering god with the head of an elephant, the torso of a crocodile, and the body made from a fusion of many beasts.
Their presence froze the march as they saw Makara and Vasuki.
Standing alone before the descending horde was a black-haired woman clad in armor, a sword in her hand, Aeloria Nightshade.
Vasuki's voice was calm but sharp, like a blade. "Stay in your realm of lies and play your games among yourselves."
"You have no right!" the cloaked figure shouted, its voice shaking the realm.
Aeloria sighed and stepped forward, her sword gleaming. "I can earn the right by cutting you all down where you stand."
"You mock us," hissed the voice of the ocean as the green monstrosity's many eyes fixed on Vasuki. "To send only your familiar spirit against us."
Vasuki chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. "She is more than enough."
The old woman from above spoke again, her voice filled with warning. "Ascend back to us. You have no understanding of the beings you now glare at."
The two invaders looked at each other, then at the sky above, then back at Aeloria, who stood like an unshakable pillar of protection before them.
The sound of grinding teeth and crashing waves filled the air. Finally, they stepped back, retreating with their army. The dark staircase crumbled to ash behind them.
Aeloria rose into the air, floating up to stand beside Vasuki and Makara in the sky.
Makara's voice boomed across the realm, blunt and unyielding. "Your games have ended. There is nothing you can do about it."
Aeloria's gaze was cold and fierce. "I will protect those I love. If I find any of you interfering with them…" Her sword flared, brighter than the sun. "I will cut you in two."
The gods below seethed in silence. Some wished to rise up and join those above. Others wanted them destroyed. All they could do was glare upward, powerless for now.
" Why?" Came the question from below. Makara raised an eyebrow " Do you answer when mortals ask the same question at the sky when you play with their live?"
No one spoke, a roar was heard as a creature smudged from the void.
The creature had the face of an octopus and the features of a man.
He lunged above, towards Aeloria and the gods.
The light-cloaked god looked up in hope and laughed.
' The great others have intervened.' He thaught. No gods below could compete alone with the creature that has just emerged.
Aeloria smirked and raised her sword, swinging it in one smooth motion.
Another creature emerged, black in colour and with the body of a deformed goat.
Makara fought it in his jaw, they both died as swiftly as they had arrived.
The gods below looked at the sight and just bowed their head in the end, knowing they were nothing in from of those above.
A/N: I was not able to convey what I wanted and I am not scatisfied with the dialogue but.. I hope you like the chapter.
Give me a power stone, or Aaric's parents will be turned into character development.