“Wonderful,” Rixinteroix says with a smile. “I’ll make sure to catch you before you leave so that we can exchange details.”

“Mhm. Say, how are you a competitor as a God Prince?” I ask, now more interested in him.

“Anyone not directly a God or Goddess is allowed. Of course, you should know, Demigoddess.”

“Right.” I look down, realizing my mistake. Soon enough, the small ensemble of musicians that were playing have the curtains drawn and we are spoken to by a few different people. I don’t listen much, but instead stand when asked and applaud when everyone else does. I feel Yhanna’s eyes on me every now and then, but resist the urge to look over at her.

I begin paying attention to the speaker's words when God Argoncin steps up. He mentions me as the victor, speaks about other plans for the Creuzetz, which includes talks of team battles, then begins talking about the actual ceremony. “At this time, I want to invite onto the stage someone that I have grown to enjoy the company of over the last few years, someone who has its own people’s best interest in mind when making decisions, and that person is Death, of Descentia.”

The audience applauds as a figure steps up to the stage. Of course under a disguise, Death wears human skin and a black tuxedo with a black bowtie, the most formal a man could dress to be these days. His extremely dark hair is slicked back and his face is rugged, but strong. He looks like the kind of person who can do some real bad in the world, but leaves that for special occasions.

Argoncin continues, “Today, we are proud to acknowledge work that has been in progress for years up to this point.” An angel steps up with a large sheet of paper with many, many unreadable words on it attached to an equally large plaque. “Today, the gods and goddesses of Ascentia and Descentia declare peace among worlds!” Argoncin, then Death both sign the declaration and the audience bursts with applause and cheers. I notice that there are cameras above us watching the lit-up stage, signaling that all worlds are probably watching this event. I wonder how this makes the deities that I defeated feel. Surely, they can’t be too happy about it.

“Glad you came with me?” Yhanna asks after the formalities are taken care of with the ceremony. We’re now standing and mingling with whomever we wish to, but I’m keeping myself nearly attached to my goddess.

“I suppose. I wasn’t expecting to meet such people here.”

“Right, I didn’t tell you that Rix would be here, did I? I would have, but I thought you would go a little overboard to show off your skills,” she laughs.

“Ha ha ha, Yhannason,” I jokingly mock. “Either way, what do you think of Arkaden?”

She smiles. “He’s dreamy, isn’t he? I don’t think he cares for me, though, you know?”

I lightly tap her shoulder with my hand. “Nonsense, Yhanna, everyone cares for you.”

“Don’t lie to me, child,” she says quietly. “I know there is a path ahead for me, with or without him.” I’ll let it go for now, but I feel like she’s upset about it, and she doesn’t get upset about a lot of things. We meet more people and keep going around the floor together for what feels like forever. I never knew that I would spend so long just talking about myself and pretending to care so much about others. I mean, yes, I’m interested that you’re a scientist, but what does that mean for me? My mind is focused on so many other things that I can hardly keep focused on what’s in front of me.

“Miss Emily.” I turn to see the same man from before, Rix. He holds out his hand, so I let him take it and he pulls back quickly, leaving an illusion rose in my hand. “I thought I should properly introduce myself to you.” He gives a slight bow and says, “I am Rixinteroix Veren, God Prince of Magic.”

I take control of the illusion and flip it to be lined with shimmering gold, then hand it back. “Well, if an introduction is in place, then I am Emily Everlock, Demigoddess of Mercy.” He runs a finger along the rose, then lets it crumble into dust in the air. “So, Rixinteroix, tell me about yourself.”

He steps to the side to be in front of me and says, “Well, I hail from The Isles and it was there that I found my true love for magic. After many decades of learning, I pledged my life as a defender of my land, although it wasn’t until pillagers from the sea launched a war against us did I finally ascend.”

“Who are your parents? How are you a Prince?”

He nods, probably expecting the question. “Jynne, Goddess of The Isles, is my mother. I guess we have a good blood line.”

“Good? More like extraordinary,” I gawk. “Hardly any two mortals in the same family both ascend.” I stop, then glance at Yhanna, seeing that she isn’t looking. For a moment, I think about her brother and herself, both being Ascentian deities. I wonder where her brother is right now.

“If you wish to say it like that, I will not contest, Miss. Now, please-” he stops as the overlooking glass ceiling panels begin to simultaneously shatter. He shields us with magic and we look up to see figures dropping ropes down. Just as quickly as they announce themselves, they begin sliding down the ropes while firing rifles at anyone in sight. I support Rix with the magical ward and Yhannason backs up to us.

“Gods!” she exclaims, latching on to me. As the figures continue firing, the patrons begin dropping. Feeling useless, I drop myself from view and slink along the shadows to counter these people. Who would barge into an Ascentian event to assault immortals? They can’t just kill them. One by one, I slash and strike at each one. I draw from the darkness and use empowered fists to knock one down, then grab their rifle to smash over the head of another attacker. I watch a beam of magic fly past me, then look to see another man dropped. I glance back, seeing that Rix is helping me stop the attack.

By the time the screams and rifles have stopped sounding, the main doors push open and I see a team of five soldiers stroll in with weapons drawn. I keep in my place, ready to defend while Ascentian angel guards standby. The soldiers bear familiar armor and weapons, but I can’t remember where it’s from. Their weapons have a smoky feel to them, kind of like they are from- Sella!

I stand straight, moving my hand out of view to begin preparing a spell. “What are you doing here, slave? I thought you were in shackles.” The leading member presses a hand on the gas mask-like helmet and it slides to the side to show the face of Sella, the bionic woman I imprisoned for my own use years ago. She was sent by my mother’s Neo-Empirical army to try and capture me, but I caught her instead and sent her to the Void to be changed. Then, she was a key asset in my invasion of Everencia when I was under Descentian influences, but I specifically remember locking her back up. Realistically, she should have lost her mind, but I suppose that is not the case.

I see her face, which is corrupted by the Void. Her eyes are bright orange-red and her veins around them has been changed to a similar hue. Her once light brown hair has turned to a dark shade of black. Her mouth is stretched into a demon-esque smile with bright white fangs, but she only seems to speak with the center of her lips. “Wrong, witch. I found out your secrets, your home, and the way to you. Get ready to die, Everlock!” She lifts her rifle and begins firing, but I finish the spell to nearly completely stop time. I push forward and pass each magic bullet until I reach her, then I connect each of her lackeys by their metal armor. When ready to face Sella, I send a blast of electricity into one of the guards.

Time flies back into motion and her backup spasms to the floor, then she turns to face me. “Die!” she yells before letting loose another spray of bullets. She gets hit by one of Rix’s spells, then becomes distracted just long enough for me to manifest and slam an ice hammer into her left shoulder, her firing arm. She falters and then turns back before changing the rifle. The butt of it seems to dematerialize and fuse with her right arm, which is bad news for me. She lets out sickening laughter while she follows me with the rifle until she finally catches me in the leg with a bullet. I slide to the ground, then flick a hand for a final spell at her. From nothing in the air, a wave of Void magic appears, rushing at her. When I stop moving, I see that her body has been covered with a huge, black shield. After the wave of Void magic dissipates, the shield retracts back into the rifle.

“Hah, thanks for the extra tricks, Everlock. Let me repay you.” She lifts the rifle, then it morphs again and she catches a handle on it with her free hand. I struggle to get to my feet, then ready myself.

“Emily, get down!” I hear Yhannason yell at me from the back. I stay put, though, and place a foot forward while Sella lets loose a barrage of magic bolts directly at me. I focus my magic on myself and right in front of me, then I see the hail of magic crumbling before getting to me. This continues until nothing that Sella fires actually makes it anywhere more than a few feet in front of her. At some point, she stops, then smiles at me.

“Your turn,” she laughs. I oblige, then let out an intimidating shriek before rushing at her. While running, I notice that my skin has turned a dark shade of black, probably because I used too much magic to repel her attacks. I leap to tackle her and shove her to the ground, then see her press her hand to her helmet and look to the side. I lose myself like in Ridgewood and go on a rampage, slashing and hacking at her armor until I see blood splattering against my face and hands. I hear her gurgling from blood flooding her mouth and I hear the point where her breaths stop, then don’t stop ripping apart her body until I’m sure she won’t get up. I get up and push myself away, then see what she did. I was just mutilating the unconscious body of one of her own allies; she is able to switch positions with bodies, all thanks to the magic the Void gave her.

With failure to kill Sella on my mind, anger envelops me and I turn back to the crowd, seeing many blurred faces among it staring at me. Before I can continue my rampage, feelings that counteract my rage shove themselves into my mind and I end up dropping to the floor after a few steps, slowly shifting back to a human form. I watch the bloody floor to the side of me become messier as I lie still. I hear the people’s voices after a while and, eventually, I’m shaken by the shoulders.

“Emily, are you alright?” Yhannason asks me.

I shift, then groan before pushing myself up with my hands. I move my legs forward and sit back on my knees, grabbing my aching head. “She’s gone. She got away.”

Yhanna kneels down with me and puts her hands on my shoulders. “We are going to get her. Don’t worry, no one was injured other than a few bruises. Those others that were with her, they were fake, Emily. They weren’t real people, so don’t worry yourself.” I feel pain in my leg, then reposition myself to look at my calf. Where I was hit, I see myself bleeding. I guess I can be injured by those magic rifles, but no one else not of the Void can be. “Let me take care of that for you, Emily,” she says, then puts both hands on the side of the wound. She presses her thumbs into the bleeding section and after a brief moment of stinging pain, I feel the discomfort go away. “There, all better.”

After getting myself back up, I look down at myself. “Sorry I ruined the dress, Yhanna,” I say, gesturing to the blood all over it.

“Don’t worry about it, we just need to get you back home.” She nudges me, “Go through that door and make sure your friends are all right, Emily.” I nod to her, then run off to shove myself through the gold-trimmed door. After passing through, the door closes on its own and I’m in the Ascentian beacon room. A rift is opened already and I walk through it to be back home, which means Sella managed to open a rift to Ascentia and left it open.

“Lucelle! Iyo! Allu!” I yell through the house. I check every room, then stop in mine. “No...”

“E-Emily, welcome h-h-home.” Arielle is on the ground in a puddle of blood. Her body is completely riddled with holes, though she still has the same happy, but now pained look on her face.

I rush to her side. “Arielle, I’m so sorry, I don’t know how I could have let this happen to any of you.”

She shakes her head. “No one else was present- just myself, Emil...ly.”

I embrace her, feeling tears begin to glaze over my eyes. “I’m sorry this had to happen, Arielle...”

“What is happening to me, Emily?” she asks, pure innocence in her voice.

I gasp for air, feeling myself beginning to convulse from crying already. “J-just relax for me. You’re going to be alright, you’ll be alright.” I put a hand over her cheek and pull the side of her face to my chest. “Deep breaths, Arielle, deep breaths.”

She becomes calmer, then says with a quiet voice, “Thank you, Emily. Th-thank you for the life you g...gave to me.” She closes her eyes and begins to rest in my arms, then after a few minutes, she goes limp with a hand over my forearm. I begin to sob and beg her to come back to me, but I know she is far from saving. No matter how much I can protect those closest to me from what cannot enter the Void, my biggest fault was neglecting what I was protecting everyone else from: the prison.