Several times, the sun and moon rose and fell as the trio continued to head toward the freezing terrain. The carriage reached the ends of the Marigold Hinterlands, as they approached the Firn Marches– the borderlands between the auburn terra firma and the Graupelwind Plains. The air was crisp, and the surrounding trees had missing crowns; leaves lay on the ground. Dead and wilting. Creatures of nature are almost void, as only those who could endure the freezing north survive here. Tenebrosia stood on top of the carriage, no matter how absurd, and was observing the rocky and uneven terrains of the Marches. Sekai already wore his thick, black cape that the Maiden gave him several days ago, and as the wind became colder, the closer they approached the Summits. Tenebrosia wasn't bothered by the cold, nor was Amma, nor Aiwa, who lay on the Mayuno's thick-furred back quite lazily.
The small lantern within the carriage kept the boy inside warm. The lantern itself was amplified by Tenebrosia's magic, making the fire within illuminate much brighter and emanate more warmth than usual. The magical power of the augmented lantern also melted a small area of snow that surrounded the carriage, making it far easier for Amma to traverse the freezing region. "It will be days before we get to the Plains at this sluggish speed…" Tenebrosia muttered, her hands on her hips as the cold wind brushed against her. Suddenly, the Maiden saw a bizarre sight at a far distance from the terrain. A giant green snake slithers alongside a gargantuan azure octopus, rapidly racing to the north. A golem– its body of stone mossy and gray– covered in snow, just rumbled behind them. Then, the skies revealed a giant red dragon, followed by a bird of thunder, similar in size. Fire and lightning clashed in the skies, illuminating them with white and orange. The five titans were in a frenzied state as they charged and disappeared through the Marches.
"What the hell was that?" Tenebrosia expelled. The Maiden exclaimed in aversion to the entire ordeal. One of her hands waved in front of her face, the other continued to lie on her hip. "Miss, did you see that?!" Sekai's muffled voice was heard from one of the windows of the carriage below, as well as Aiwa's squeals and Amma's huffing and trumpet sounds. "I did." Tenebrosia simply replied, fixing her rosy glasses. "Don't mind them, little one. They're not coming for us." The Maiden continued. "Go rest. I'd wake you up once we've passed the blizzard and found a calm spot." She heard the hums of approval of the Padomas boy below, and felt small shifts– a confirmation of Sekai resting at the settee.
...
The winds of the harsh Marches shuffled the carriage slightly, but Amma's equanimity endured the terrible conditions of the snowy fields. Tenebrosia continued to stay on the top of the carriage, sitting ever so stylishly, equally unbothered as the Mayuno. The muffled squeaks of the Dunwaku, Aiwa, were heard from within. Perhaps scittering and playing around. As the blizzard blinded the path ahead, Tenebrosia stood up and sighed. "I pity the beast," she muttered. The Maiden pondered, then thought of an idea. Snapping her fingers, Tenebrosia manifested only one arm of Mistress Hecate. The demoness's immense limb appeared through a portal above, and it waved; such a force quite literally moved the blizzard with a slight shift. This made the path a bit clearer and easier for the Mayuno to pass through.
Amma let out a loud, surprised trumpeting and immediately halted. The beast looked up with an expression of confusion and a ridiculous emotion of disdain, as if asking the Maiden, 'You couldn't do that earlier?' The woman simply scuffed sarcastically, replying: "Apologies, but I was a bit tired earlier. Care to forgive me?" Amma simply rolled its eyes before traversing once more. The sun was visible again, and the blizzard fortunately moved away from their intended path. The Firn Marches lived up to its status among even the fierce adventurers of Windstrew– the terrain was devoid of any life. Trees and creatures were missing from sight.
…
The carriage reached an open area within the Marches. Tenebrosia, ever the acumen, knew that such an open area would attract some danger, no matter how empty of life the environment may be. Having the carriage in a corner was more viable, and so she dropped from the carriage and instructed Amma to rest at the sides of the open area, at the bottom of a small cliff. Tenebrosia looked up: the sun was dipping itself through the horizon. "What an insulting weather…" the Maiden sighed. Tenebrosia shook her head and walked to their camp for the night: a calm and sheltered spot from any potential danger. As the tall woman approached the rested bogie, the carriage opened slowly and revealed Sekai holding his staff along with Aiwa wearing a makeshift vest: ragged and black– obviously just a torn piece of the Padomas boy's cape. "Look, miss! I made Aiwa a tunic!" He laughed childishly, playing with the Dunwaku as it squeaked and hopped around Sekai, its elongated body making the critter flexible around the boy.
Tenebrosia only gave a simple smirk, a hand on her hip, and the other adjusting her rosy glasses. "Charming," she simply replied. The boy, however, didn't reply, further engaging in fun as he was too occupied with Aiwa. Amma let out a simple and soft sound from its trunk as it lay to rest, the cold not bothering the Mayuno. "Little one, it is time for your training. Leave your friends for a while while the weather is still clear." Tenebrosia's voice cut through the two's fun, and Sekai let out a whine. But ultimately, the boy accepted it within a few short minutes. After all, this was his end of the bargain, too. "You could watch me for the first time, too, Aiwa! Watch me!" Sekai declared to the small Dunwaku, who tilted its head in curiosity. "She'll see," the boy told the Maiden, before scampering towards Tenebrosia, holding his staff as his tail and ears fluttered with each jumpy step.
…
As the two sparred, with Tenebrosia obviously holding back to match Sekai's tempo and experience, the Maiden caught the boy's stick with her bare hands and flipped it away. "Again." The woman spoke. 'Whoa, miss Maiden must be really experienced if she can spar only with her hands, ' Sekai thought as he scampered for his staff. The boy adorably picked up his snow-covered staff and wagged the snow off. Sekai turned around and immediately– and quickly, rushed at Tenebrosia with his Padomas instincts– way faster than the average human. He began attacking his pedagogue, with Tenebrosia completely impressed as she backed up with lunges and deflected each strike. "Commendable," she replied with a smirk. "But that is enough," Tenebrosia caught Sekai's staff and lifted it as she halted herself through the snow. As she lifted the staff, so did the boy who was holding it. Aiwa's squeaks were slightly heard from a distance, almost like she was cheering for the boy. Amma, however, was already fast asleep. "The sun is gone, and the blizzard will surely return," Tenebrosia spoke, still holding the staff as Sekai gripped onto it before the Maiden let her grip loosen and dropped it, along with the boy (who landed with his feet). "Aw, but I still wanted to train!" Sekai protested with a pout as he and the Maiden walked towards the carriage. "Don't act so anguished now, little one. Get caught by the blizzard, or survive another day." Tenebrosia simply replied. "Now, now, you'd get your supper. Hurry before the weather gets worse." She continued, as the two finally reached the carriage and ascended its small staircase, with Tenebrosia having to bend down just to fit in due to her tall height. Aiwa followed behind, squeaking as the boy and Maiden entered the warm and illuminated interior of their mobile abode. Amma stayed outside, still resting and unbothered by the cold. "You're right," Sekai finally replied as he sat on the settee.
Tenebrosia was at the back of the carriage's small kitchen, searching for a ration. Aiwa was looking out the open window as well as Sekai, when suddenly, the boy's stomach grumbled again out of hunger. "Miss–" "I know, Sekai." The Maiden replied quickly, her tone was one of laughter. "Here," Tenebrosia threw a ration– brown paper on a rope, at Sekai. "As well as this one," she threw another smaller package with a rope tying its ends at Aiwa. With the Dunwaku unraveling the ration, it revealed an assortment of nuts and smaller fruits. Not a short moment did the critter waste in feasting upon its meal immediately. Sekai opened his ration and revealed dried boar meat, nuts, dried mountain plums, and even cake with fruits within. Somewhat crispy and warm, as if someone had cooked it before handing it to him. The boy looked up, and there was Tenebrosia's back facing him from the kitchen, tidying everything up. Sekai looked down and began eating his meal right away.
…
The night was late, and Sekai was fast asleep within the carriage alongside Aiwa. Amma was still asleep, rested, and slumped on the snowy ground. Tenebrosia, however, was still awake as usual. The Maiden knew something was amiss. It's been too peaceful. The world never becomes too quiet, especially in one of the most extreme and harshest places in the entire globe. Standing outside their makeshift camp, she summoned another spherical barrier to protect the camp as she traversed the area around. Any signs of the blizzard were nonexistent, and the moon shone bright upon the skies. Tenebrosia walked a considerable number of steps around the Marches, circling and exploring unknown places, checking every crevice for any potential dangers.
Faint coughs were heard in a cave as Tenebrosia passed it.
This caused the Maiden to snap her head in its direction as she walked by, halting her walk. The tall woman ventured into the dark cave, conjuring a magenta flame from her palm. The light of the bright purple flame revealed a critically injured Moy'r, extremely different from the first moment they met back in the Parliament's library. "That old prune's servant?" Tenebrosia immediately rushed at Moy'r, who sat on the ground and coughed blood. A hand cupped his abdomen, obviously dripping scarlet liquid. His robes were extremely dirty with dirt and snow, his beard was messy, and his mitre was missing, revealing his slight, gray hair. "...the Maiden?" Moy'r coughed. "Who did this to you?" Tenebrosia immediately replied, bending down near the injured Cardinal. 'I can't save him, the magic that struck him must've been strong if I can feel the strains of mana around him. Venomous tactics,' Tenebrosia thought. "...that damned woman… outsmarted us, outsmarted my master… the Directors… all caught…" The heavily injured man coughed more and vomited a color of blood now black. "There is not much time… she's opening the gates of both Elysium and Hades! Destroy every part of me! Before she turns me into one of–" he proceeded to cough more black blood. And then… slumped to the ground. This caused the Maiden to back up in fear immediately. She felt similar traces of magic across the dead man that were eerily akin to the Sombre Art, but somewhat twisted of the arcana she practiced.
Suddenly, the once-dead Cardinal snapped back and stood up. Jerking in inhumane positions and poses before standing upright. His eyes were as void as an empty cosmos, and his mouth dripped with black blood. Suddenly, his voided eyes lit with purple before the seemingly undead-alive Moy'r came rushing at the Maiden with ultrasonic speed and a twisted laughter of abandonment. Tenebrosia blocked this with one of her arms, snapping away the fear. With her blocked arm, she pushed the man away. "Oh, sweet child…" an echoing, female voice came from Moy'r's mouth, distorted and unreal, twisted and nightmarish… abhorrent and abominable. Far different than his tone earlier. "This wizened fool's body is decaying; shame I am not able to exert my wrath to its fullest extent in this proxy." Moy'r, or whoever was obviously controlling him, laughed. He took a step forward, and Tenebrosia took a step back. "I am not one to waste my time for entertainment…" The possessed Cardinal slowly pointed his black blood-covered hand at Tenebrosia. "However, I thirst for what you truly became these past few days. Let us see if you are truly prepared!" He yelled and lunged at Tenebrosia, causing her to be pushed to the cave's wall. The force was enough for the two to break through several layers of rock and rubble until they penetrated through the walls themselves. Tenebrosia grunted, and Moy'r simply laughed maniacally, with the voice of a female who seemingly lost it all. Landing outside in the snowy terrain with flawless grace, contrasting with the Cardinal's wildish landing, the cave itself collapsed the moment they forcefully penetrated through it. A fight of darkness and darkened light ensued at the Marches.
The possessed Moy'r came rushing at Tenebrosia with a fist of holy flames, his mouth still dripping with black. Tenebrosia ran towards the Cardinal, and parried his rounded fist with a leg amplified by her own dark magic. As the two collided in the middleground, a shockwave was emitted, causing a large part of the snow around them to be moved backward as a crater appeared beneath them. The feral man smiled menacingly, his grin widening as both light and darkness clashed and continued to emit waves of air that continued to rattle rocks over the frozen landscape. "You've grown quite strong," the female voice spoke through the mouth of the old man. "Did I now? My condolences, I've grown quite busy looking at my own beauty to notice." Tenebrosia snarky replied, her tone laced with snarling sarcasm. The two were then pushed back by the force, halting the waves of air heavily reverberating around them. Moy'r then summoned two angelic swords into his hands. Their handles were golden, and the blades shone bright under the moonlight before the flames of heaven itself surrounded each steel. Tenebrosia summoned Chateau Scapegrace at her right hand as she was in a defensive position: legs in stance and her free hand ready to parry.
Moy'r launched himself forward, attempting to slice the Maiden with his two swords with abandon. However, Tenebrosia blocked this with her bludgeoning, architectural weapon and attempted to club the possessed Cardinal with a heavy swing. But the Cardinal avoided this and began to hit again. Tenebrosia rushed in, avoiding every swing of the man's blades with graceful precision while blocking some with her durable Chateau Scapegrace. As the Maiden and the Cardinal were engaged in an equal fight, Tenebrosia landed a harsh kick right to the man's chin, causing him to fly upwards dozens of meters into the air. However, the possessed Moy'r quickly corrected his position mid-flight and floated in the air. The Cardinal glowed a hue of yellow and gave a quick, menacing smile before he rushed to the Maiden at speeds of thunder– a thundering roar came as he rushed at Tenebrosia. This causes Tenebrosia to gasp in a frame of a second before Moy'r crashed onto the woman, leaving a thick smoke of dust that swallowed the two, and a gargantuan crater was left in the ground. It flattened the rocky hill they were battling on, and the inselberg they were once standing on that towered over the flat fields was instantly gone. As the dust of snow and rubble vanished away, Tenebrosia was on one knee and blocking Moy'r's blades with the durable Chateau Scapegrace.
Moy'r began pushing with his physical strength as Tenebrosia continued to hold her position behind her weapon. Crackling light began sparking at Moy'r's side, the thundering roars and spectacle emitting from his swords. "Don't be afraid now, little girl. You're still too much of a weakling to prove you're worth something. I wonder what Ragena saw in you to make you champion?" The female voice laughed from Moy'r's mouth with manic enthusiasm. Trying to get a rise out of Tenebrosia. However, the woman was unwilling to give her what the puppeteer behind Moy'r's possession wanted. "Oh my, such crude language. Has your mother never taught you basic manners?" Tenebrosia replied, continuing to hold her position as Moy'r continued to push on. The possessed man growled in frustration and began pushing himself more. Tenebrosia took this as an opportunity: she tilted her Chateau Scapegrace slightly and forced the possessed Cardinal to slip. Although at first he halted and his feet touched the snowy terrain, the moment he turned around, he was met with a harsh punch from Tenebrosia's free hand, causing him to wail and be thrown to a mountainside, crashing.
Tenebrosia quickly jumped into action with a powerful lunge, rocketing acres of land to where Moy'r crashed. Dust of rubble clouded the man; however, he quickly pierced through the debris to Tenebrosia, still with his maniacal smile and reckless abandon. As the two met each other, a flurry of the Cardinal's light magic, the Scintillant Eunoia, and Tenebrosia's own Sombre Arts, exploded into luminance and shadows. Yellow light and purple shadows danced in a terrifying rhythm as a sea of shockwaves affected a large scale of the terrain. The flashes paused as the two respectively charged their own fists before clashing together, causing immense pressure between their rounded hands and emitting a blast of light and darkness, leading to both the Cardinal and Maiden being thrown back a considerable distance. Moy'r immediately sprouted wings of angelical stones the moment he halted his flight, as well as Tenebrosia, sprouting her own magical and flamboyantly patterned dragonfly wings– these wings obviously caused by the power they've got from their concordat with their otherworldly partners.
"BAEOUIB!" Moy'r chanted, and a small rift of Elysium opened. Out of the angelic portal came a giant and alive obelisk, covered in armor of gold, and marbled faces surrounded its body. Rings of eyes floated around it, and its fingers are long. It simply floated off the air, and it had three floors shaped like cubes, each containing faces larger than most that surrounded it. "I AM CONATUS, SERAPHIM OF HEAVEN." Its head was on its top floor, spoke, and immediately tried to attack the Maiden with its fist.
"MACALGE!" Tenebrosia quickly retaliated through a chant, and from a portal came the ferocious Mistress Hecate, delivering a harsh upper cut right to the seraphim Conatus. This caused the angel to groan and halt its initial assault on the Maiden. All of its focus came at the demoness who taunted it through her malicious smile. Moy'r came rushing at the Maiden; the woman anticipated this and flew towards him at speeds enough to create a shockwave. At their side was the fearsome Mistress Hecate, battling in magic and fists against Conatus, who fought back with equal force. The seraphim fired blasts of fire as the demoness hurled plasmas back. A battle of companions ensued in the snowy terrains.
"You've grown violently! You're awakening to what I want you to be!" The female voice spoke through the mouth of the Cardinal as he and the Maiden struggled with each other's strength. "That boy… yes, that boy is holding you back… I know… I feel what you feel, Tenebrosia. We are the same, we share the same essence of the ancestor of our clan… Ragena should be ashamed you're intertwined with a monster like me!" The voice laughed. Tenebrosia had a face of apathy, but still had a smirk as the two continued to struggle. "That smirk is a facade. I know what you feel– don't act so idiotic now, child." "Riddle me this," the Maiden interrupted the possessed man's monologue. "If I were an idiot and if we share the same essence of our clan's ancestor, doesn't that make you an idiot yourself?" She laughed in a dry tone, and this caused the man's smile to slightly frown and his eyes to slide down lightly. The puppeteer behind him was obviously ticked off.
Suddenly, a magical blast from Hecate's brawl against Conatus caused the Maiden and the Cardinal to look at it, compelling the two to back off; however, they soon afterward fought again. A finale: Hecate avoided a flurry of flamed fists as she took a grip of Conatus' face on its top floor, pulling it with harsh force. One of Conatus' faces got ripped, flesh and blood dripped from its missing face– a wail released from every mouth and every face the Seraphim had. However, true to her title, Hecate continued to barrage the celestial angel with punches that pierced through its armor– a flesh was hidden behind its fortified obelisk body. The demoness began pulling every floor apart as blood continued to gush out, blasting plasmas to obliterate every single piece Conatus had. This distracted the Cardinal, and taking action, Tenebrosia amplified her own leg. Darkness covered it before she delivered a lethal strike to Moy'r's side. In Tenebrosia's perspective, time seemed to slow down as the possessed man coughed more black blood out. His voided eyes, his purple glowing pupils, shaking. In a second, Moy'r was sent flying right to the side, where Tenebrosia immediately caught up. Picking up the possessed Cardinal mid-flight, she hopes to promise what the man said before being possessed in her own flair: obliterate every part of him. The Maiden immediately flew with her dragonfly wings up into the air, pausing as her height now overlooked a large area below. Seeing a small mountain, Tenebrosia immediately (and intentionally) fell, positioning the weakened Cardinal–whose pupils continued to shake–below her.
The Cardinal tried slashing Tenebrosia with his dual blades; however, before he could, the Maiden pierced right through the small mountain. The Cardinal halted his intended words as Tenebrosia descended right through the mountaintop, going through several layers of rocks that were hundreds of feet deep. The small mountain broke in half due to the Maiden's strength, and the Cardinal was left pulverized into oblivion. His body's flesh was shredded, his organs exposed, and his face was unrecognizable. However, in all of these extremely terrible conditions, he simply laughed in the female voice and maniacally so. "You've grown violently! Oh, how lovely my child! Oh, how simply–" Tenebrosia, unnerved, interrupted his morbid dialogue with Chateau Scapegrace, slamming the heavy weapon directly onto his head, squashing it into a pool of unrecognizable flesh and blood. A gate of Hades opened itself beneath the finally dead Moy'r; demonic hands pulling the carcass below. The Maiden scoffed, "Disgusting," with an apathetic tone. She fixed her gloves before moving on, unmanifesting her wings as she moved forward.
Tenebrosia saw where the seraphim Conatus' dead body lay. Standing there was the giant demoness, Mistress Hecate, hand on one hip and the other holding one of her marbled faces before discarding it. Teneborisa simply gave one quick nod with her head, essentially telling the demoness her job was done. Hecate understood, before unmanifesting. Shortly after, several gates of Hades began dragging the dead seraphim, leaving no trace. The Maiden sighed before walking back to the carriage after a few moments of contemplation. "I should be given an entire estate by Windstrew's crown after this gruesome mission," she muttered through her lips.
…
The dawn came. The sun greeted the harsh Firn Marches with warm rays of light that felt alien and unfamiliar to the dead terrains. Sekai woke up, stirring from his sleep, shifting around. The lantern's still amplified status kept the interior warm and homey to the boy. Aiwa squeaked beside the Padomas boy, stirring away from its adorable slumber. "Another day," yawned the child, stretching before grabbing his nearby flask and drinking the water within. Grabbing his staff and cape, Sekai perched Aiwa–who adorably wore her vest on her own– on his shoulder.
As the two exited the carriage, they had only seen the snow and rocky terrains with Tenebrosia not in sight; missing was his pedagogue. Amma was already awake, eating fruits from a sack right in front of him. The gentle beast noticed the two and simply gave a soft groan before looking back at its meal and feasting again. "Don't fret, little one. I'm right here." Tenebrosia's voice was heard from atop the carriage: she was sitting and looking at a map, taken from inside the bogie. "Breakfast is left on the kitchen top, dear. Do excuse me." The Maiden continued to read the map. Sekai simply gave a soft, warm smile. His eyes glistened with aspiration to be like the woman. Aiwa squeaked.
Sekai simply walked back inside, his stomach grumbling once more, looking for whatever meal Tenebrosia prepared. Somehow, even in the desolate wastelands of ice, Tenebrosia made it warm and cozy for her found friends.