Summer Garden

Vastras

Vastras nodded to the elf as she withdrew the spear.

The mage sighed heavily, standing over Trei as he gasped, blood pouring from his mouth. Her heart ached softly as she looked down at him. She wasn't sure if he was dying. Life and death weren't binary for him, not anymore... And this new body of his was still changing, before forced to adapt to the soul that crawled inside it. Regeneration abilities tend to be highest when mutation is occurring. It was more than possible the body would survive... And even if it didn't, Trei's soul might. Depending on his will to live.

She turned and looked at the red-haired Fae lying on the ground, holding her chest whilst trying to focus her eyes. The purple wings drooped lifelessly on the wet cave floor. Yellow dust dripped from her skin in rivulets.

Vastras sighed and crouched beside her, "You're dying, Summer. Queen of the Fae. Goddess of the Fae. You will die, and return to the lifestream. Murdered Fae do return to the stream, that doesn't change. The reason you don't come back... Is your soul is corrupted by the death. The lifestream expels the corruption, to protect itself."

Summer glared at her, trying to speak, but all that happened was a river of blood poured out of her mouth.

Vastras patted her head softly, "And you, my sweet little goddess, are the lifestream. You are just a piece of the source. When it rejects you, it will reject itself. When that happens, the Fae will be undone. The Fates will be undone. The gods will be undone. Magic itself will cease to exist."

The mage stood up tiredly, "If there was another way to eradicate magic, I would have. But there wasn't. So I created Trei. A man perfectly crafted to fit your soul. I'm sorry for that... Using him... Hurts. Watching you, one of the greatest magic users of all time die... Hurts. But it has to be done. To end the wars. To give us a chance to survive."

The elf shifted behind her and Vastras turned, flinching as she saw Trei on his hands and knees with the spear exploding into the ground from his chest. "Don't. Please. You don't need to die, Trei. Your part is nearly done in all this... And then you can have a chance at a normal life."

The mage turned back to the red hair glaring at her and drew a small dagger, "Unfortunately, I need to ensure the corruption of your soul, queen. It will be... Unpleasant."