Summer Garden

Alphege

The elf leaned wearily on the spear, feeling her throat constricting tighter and tighter, unable to breathe. The black lines tracing a fractal pattern across her skin had grown and spread, and she knew it wouldn't be long now. Her people were already anxious, with the queen calling her repeatedly, despite the warnings that using magic was increasing the rate at which the sickness was invading her.

She couldn't blame them for being worried, she was. She did not have the magical knowledge necessary to even slow the infection, let alone stop or cure it. Her people were going to die, all because of a stupid Fae that decided she needed a challenge. To be tested.

The air rippled, and a human female emerged. Her hair was a beautiful golden colour, bundled up into a bun atop her head. The scorching blue eyes beneath however seemed to drink in the entire environment, with a hunger that disturbed Alphege. This was a woman who saw the entire world as building blocks that she could play with. A creature who did not understand beauty, nor care for it.

"You appear to be the only one still standing." The mage yawned, and walked over, "The Guardians always were stubborn. This virus should have already killed you."

Alphege swallowed painfully, and rasped, "Can you help us?"

"Of course." The mage yawned again, "It is virulent, but simple. This is just an effective thing. But if I do help you, you will owe me, elf. You will swear an oath to aid me in a mission, of a kind. I won't tell you the nature, or when I will summon you. These are the terms. Do you accept?"

No elf can break an oath once given. It wasn't just revolting to them, it was lethal. An oathbreaker broke their own soul. It was akin to suicide. To give an oath, to a human from a violent region, with a history of violence and manipulation, was beyond dangerous. This creature would try and force her to become a weapon, to serve her as a brilliant and destructive force against her enemies, whoever they may be.

"I will not... Endanger... My world... Or people." She struggled, gasping for air.

The mage considered, "Fair enough. I accept. Give me your hand."

Alphege held out her hand weakly and the mage grabbed it roughly, and drew a small runed dagger and slashed her palm. Alphege's eyes watered, and she saw the black blood bubbling up from her hand. The mage winced and chewed her cheek for a moment, "I need to see how far this has spread. Take off your clothes."

The elf went bright red, staring in surprise.

"I'm serious. Take them off." The mage demanded, and Alphege sullenly pulled her shirt off before dropping it to the ground. If it wasn't for the fever she would feel blisteringly cold. She dropped her skirt, and underwear and glared at the mage.

The blonde paced around her slowly, looking at the spread of the fractal patterns and paused behind her, "Ah. Here we go. This will be... Uncomfortable."

Alphege was already uncomfortable. Modesty was a prized concept in her society.

She gasped airlessly as the knife slammed into the small of her back, severing her spine. She fell forwards, and the mage caught her easily, laying her down slowly, "Now, I know you can't move, but make sure you don't try."

Pain flowed through her like a river. She found herself outside the world, beyond it. Her senses were stripped away until all that was left was a white void and the ringing in her ears. She found it oddly peaceful, as if she were being welcomed into the embrace, and into the folds of death. She was free of the world she had always known, a world that had grown up whilst she had become more and more disenfranchised with it. She had seen species rise and fall in dominance. She had witnessed the creation of mankind, and how with every cycle of the sun they become more and more violent, targeting each other with crimes that would cause a purge amongst her own kind.

She had seen the revival, and the rise of the paladins, a spark of hope in a bleak and tired world. And then she had watched as the king's claimed these holy warriors for their own and snuffed out the hope of a race not filled with prejudice, rage and destruction. Mankind was a pox upon the world, a virus that would eventually destroy itself.

She had seen Sumner sacrifice her life, so that a new race might be born, one that might hold the values of the original, from before the fracturing, from before man had attempted to steal the power of the gods. The Fae were a childish people. Endlessly reborn, endlessly relearning the same lessons, and making the same mistakes. They prided themselves on arrogance and xenophobia. They were a disgrace, a failure. A waste of talent, and beauty.

She had seen the human mage, Danren. A hopeful and idealistic child, who took a hold of the dead of humanity and Elfin kind, and tried to forge the original kind anew. In his failure he created the mindless goblin race, a plague that destroys everyone and everything. Their first victim was Danren himself. He died screaming as they ate him alive.

She had seen the birth of the orks, by the human mage who distorted and corrupted himself, taking the name Drak'tur. He created monsters, and became one, so that he might have a chance at succeeding where his ancestors had failed. He set out to destroy the gods. His descendants might one day prove up to the task. They were a violent and insane race. Priding themselves on pain and torture. Revelling in death, and welcoming it when it came for them. They were without mercy. Their souls were as ugly as their outward appearance.

Sensation came back with a fiery storm, and Alphege cried out, tears springing from her eyes unbidden.

She heard the mage speak quietly from above her, "Sorry about that. I needed you to experience it. We're done, at least with you."

ALphege's hands curled into fists and she sat up slowly, glaring at the human in front of her, no different than any of her ancestors who had corrupted the world, pushing it ever closer to the bitter end. "What was that, mortal?"

"Mortality." She sighed, "That's what the virus seeks. Death. So... I gave you a near death experience. Not quite sure how it would be for you, being a deathless elf and all, but that experience needed to be created. You're cured, but now we have to pass on the cure."

Alphege screwed up her nose and she sat up slowly on her knees, "You wish to force the curse of mortality onto all my people. The knowledge that things end. A knowledge that forces you to see how much evil has truly happened in this world."

The mage shrugged, "Maybe it's time your people realised they're a part of this world."

Alphege pushed herself upright with her spear, "That is not acceptable to me, mage. I thank you for your help. I am bound by my oath. Yet, there is another way to cure my people, and I take that option."

The mage paused, "You can't be serious. If you focus all of that on yourself... You won't be an elf anymore. The trauma of experiencing death over and over, for every life connected to your sacred tree... It can't be done. You won't survive it. You'll become a mere shadow of yourself."

"I am the Guardian." She replied, "I take that option."

The mage sighed with frustration and then sat down, "If you're going to be this stupid, then I'll watch. When you start to die, I will try and keep your mind intact. I won't have my investment in you wasted. It isn't like taking you close to the edge of death and back was easy."

Alphege spun the spear in her hand, focusing.

The blade slammed into Yggdrasil, linking her to it, and to all life flowing through it and from it.