The followers of Princess Zaina are now in retreat, thanks to a mysterious storm that ransacked the keep they were holed up in. Prince Alpertti was convinced not to abdicate the throne. And now all of Jabez's children are safe. That only leaves one last problem.
Mikansia turned to Tyce, smiled warmly at him, and then punched him in the arm, laughing. "You just hand me the Sword of Uriel and don't tell me?? What's wrong with you?"
Tyce moved away, laughing. "I knew you'd figure it out event- OW! HEY NOW!" as Mikansia closed the distance. "Oh come now, it was funny!"
"Doesn't mean I'm not going to hurt you for it!" laughed Mikansia in mock grimness. After a minute they stopped goofing around. "Why did you come here, Tyce? Nice as it is to see you."
"A lot is about to happen," Tyce said sadly. "And I know you'll want to be in on it." Tyce held out Sydanelma to Mikansia, who took it with raised eyebrows. "Toivol got to the Grotto just a moment after you left with Sydanelma. The triumphant passed in peace."
"Triumphant indeed," Mikansia said, staring at the blade. "Not that I mind, but why did you bring it back to me?"
"Because Nomi is in grave danger," Tyce said seriously.
"Ta was fine when I left! What happened?"
"... a lot. Nomi needs you. There's more coming too, so we can't be there too long."
"Zaina," Mikansia whispered. Tyce nodded. "Let's get Nomi," said Mikansia, cutting a hole into Dream with Sydanelma.
Ta cut to Constantine's bedroom, only to almost step on Constantine's unblinking face. Mikansia drew back. There was blood sprayed all around like an awful painting. Despite talself Mikansia checked Constantine's pulse, but given the gash in his throat...
Fish was leaning against the door, stomach held together by his shaking arms. Mikansia ran over and helped the injured dwarf to his feet. "What happened here? Where's Nomi?"
Fish coughed up blood. "Cou... coup. Aloysius. Came out of nowhere. Nomi... down the hall."
Mikansia turned to Tyce, who had just appeared. "Help me get him up?"
Tyce nodded sadly. "I'm not here for him, but I am here for you." And they pulled Fish up. Mikansia opened the door... well shoved it open... to find dozens of human corpses littering the hall. Picking their way gingerly down the hall, they finally found Nomi leaning against a wall, surrounded by corpses, covered in their blood.
The look in Nomi's eyes broke Mikansia's heart. Ta ran to Nomi, wrapping ta in tal arms. Nomi had run out of tears; tal cries came in barking fits. "He's... he's gone. Constantine. Gone... gone... gone... gone..."
Mikansia's tears spoke for Nomi's dry eyes.
And then time froze.
Mikansia turned to Tyce. "Was that you?"
Tyce looked sick. "You missed it. Just now."
"Missed what-" but Mikansia could feel it now. Something was wrong with the world. Very very wrong. Someone was Yetekaida: the dark elf messiah, the one who would call the Nameless to devour the world. "Zaina. It's done. Zaina finally did it."
"That was always going to happen. Once the Lone Keep had fallen it was just a matter of time before someone used the information they'd suppressed. But this isn't just anybody, this is Zaina," said Tyce.
"What do I need to do?" asked Mikansia, not missing a beat.
"We can send twelve legions of angels, but that's the blunt hammer approach. We'd end creation if we did that. This really may kill you to do, Mikansia."
That didn't make Mikansia pause.
"There are others who we could find to do this," said Tyce. "Had it been six months ago this would have been suicide for you and I would never have asked. But it's not now. But that doesn't mean-"
"It's Zaina. I can't let that... thing... continue on like this. Not after killing Yngvar. And Santeri. And wrecking Kotae Mah. It's gone on long enough. I need to do this. It's my fate. What do we need to do?"
"You'll need to use the Sword of Uriel, which won't work with you, not without charging it up. The person who the sword will awaken for will not be here for a few more centuries yet. So we'll have to give the sword a boost. But first, we need to get Nomi and Fish somewhere safe."
Mikansia nodded. And Time returned. Nomi gave Mikansia an odd look. "What's wrong?"
"We... we don't have a lot of time. So you'll need to trust me." Nomi nodded. "You'll be needing this."
Nomi batted Sydanelma away as Mikansia held it out to ta. "No. NO. What are you doing? If there's trouble you'll need that," stammered Nomi.
"Not where I'm going."
"What happened??"
"There's not enough time. And there's no one else I'd trust this to. No one else that is family. Just you."
Nomi took a moment to reply, eyes filled with emotion. "It's nice to feel wanted."
Where do you want to go?" asked Tyce, as gently as he could.
"I.. I... take me to Anneli. Take me to my baby sister."
They were on a beach, black skies and water invaded by the warm glow of a camp fire. A spit hovered above the fire; meat was being basted by a human. Sitting acrost from them was an elf who resembled Olivia the Thunderer more than Nomi.
***
Mikansia and Tyce were in Dream, Nomi, Fish, and Sydanelma behind them. "So how do we charge the Sword of Uriel?" asked Mikansia.
"I apologize in advance." Tyce did not look happy, not one bit.
"For what?"
"I really can't prepare-"
Tyce didn't even finish before he shoved Mikansia.
Down.
Down.
Down.
This was a darkness that can never be explained. Only experienced. Mikansia could feel someone, somethings that were there but-
A flash of memories overwhelmed Mikansia. Facing the Creature from Dream. Losing Ensio. And Dale. Failing to understand Akseli, holding the triumphant in tal arms until there was only dust. Being raped by tal father. Watching Yngvar fall to the ground, neck first. And more. And more. And more. Over. And over. And over. Mikansia was in each moment, all at once Through the horror and pain and guilt and anger and hollowness of drinking talself into a stupor in Elfwatch Mikansia felt that the Somethings were watching, enjoying the anguish ta felt, as if it was a play they were watching, as if they were completely unaware a real person was experiencing these things! Mikansia was an object for their amusement. The last thing Mikansia remembered was the Sword of Uriel being in tal hand, growing ever more heavy.
Mikansia found talself in Tyce's arms. Ta burned a bit, touching Tyce, having absorbed some of the fell energy of The Nameless. But Mikansia didn't care and snuggled into Tyce's arms, where ta was safe. Mikansia looked up: Akseli, Yngvar, Ensio, and Dale were beaming at ta. They helped Mikansia to tal feet. The Sword of Uriel was vibrating in pain, heavier than any sword had any right to be, causing Mikansia's arm to go numb.
Ta was breathing water.
There was an enormous Flame behind Mikansia, so bright that no shadow could ever exist near it. The Flame shifted and changed before Mikansia's eyes, calming and soothing ta, helping ta come back to a peace ta had only recently thought was possibly... and more. So. Much. More.
And the fuligin sword hungered for its touch. That hunger ran up the blade and into Mikansia, a piercing pain that spoke of the loss of all that was good, peaceful, kind... but not hope. Hope remained. Always to hope for restoral in the face of complete loss, that was the Sword of Uriel's fate, until the end of the world, when all would be made new again.
Akseli, Yngvar, Ensio and Dale picked up the end of the Sword and helped Mikansia walk it to the Flame. The blade entered the Flame.
Mikansia found talself atop a mountain. The sky was blue once more, the sun beat down fiercely. Standing at the edge, looking down, was a young human woman... with gray skin and bleach blonde hair. When she turned around eyes hollow with pain greeted Mikansia. For a moment Mikansia couldn't recognize her.
But Simone's chin had not changed.
"Mi... Mikansia??" Simone came up to Mikansia, dumbfounded. "Where have you been, after all this time??"
"I've always been here," Mikansia found talself saying.
Simone began to sob; Mikansia took her into tal arms. "I've felt so alone!" Simone cried. "I can't.. I've not been back to the Gate since you left and I... I..."
"Your time is not up yet. You needn't be alone," reassured Mikansia.
"Why did you leave???" came ripping out of Simone's fragile frame.
"Because it was my time. I had to protect you, protect everyone. I had to keep you safe. So I did what I knew I had to do."
"But I miss you," shrieked Simone. "Why can't you be here???"
"But I am. And you can come see me. You can come to the Gate. I'll be waiting," promised Mikansia.
"I.. I will see you again. Tonight." declared Simone, eyes red, body shaking like a leaf.
Mikansia stroked Simone's precious face, stained with tears. "Yes, yes you will. Go live. Please. I'll see you again."
"Pr-promise?"
Looking into those eyes Mikansia said only what ta thought to be true.
And Mikansia was back before the Flame. The Sword was light as a feather, shining with an intensity equal to the Flame before ta; Akseli, Yngvar, Ensio, and Dale were positively corporeal in its light. Mikansia held the Sword of Uriel aloft, marveling at it.
"Ready to go kick Zaina's ass?" asked Yngvar.
And they were now in the main piazza of Kotae Mah. Prince Alpertti lay before Mikansia and-
-Akseli, Yngvar, Dale, and Ensio were next to Mikansia. Solid. Corporeal, in the flesh, bathing in the light of the Sword of Uriel. Mikansia laughed for utter joy. "What, you thought we'd let you do this part alone?" asked Yngvar.
Standing before the injured Prince Alpertti was what... remained... of Zaina. Eyes glowing, skin becoming transparent. Shadowy impressions of tentacles glowing out of its back. "This... this this is impossible!" it said in a voice that reminded Mikansia of the sucking sound a boot makes being pulled loose of mud. The skies rumbled in time with the voice. Mikansia looked up.
It was an army of Nameless.
The Music the Nameless emitted should have been enough to tear the whole planet apart.
Silence. As a positive force.
The Sword of Uriel would not be denied in the joy of fulfillment.
Zaina charged and what was left of it howled with the Nameless.
"Zaina, this ends, now." The Sword swung once. Not even dust was left. For one second Mikansia realized that Prince Alpertti was gaping at ta.
Akseli, Yngvar, Ensio, and Dale rose into the air. They grabbed Mikansia. "We'll give you a lift. Sound good?"asked Akseli.
"Thought you'd never ask," said Mikansia warmly, overjoyed by Silence. This was how it was always supposed to be, what ta had always needed, but had never had the words. And here they were, around here. The time had come.
The inhabitants of Heranyt, to this day, talk about what they saw in that moment. A V-formation of light so bright it hurt to look at sailed against the hundreds of Nameless that had come to Kotae Mah. The first explosion was the first one talked about the most, because no single explosion could be seen after that. The Nameless nearest the Kotae Mah vanished in a blast of light that washed over the planet like the caress a parent gives to their child. And then the other Nameless went up in a series of gentle blasts that happened so quickly it was all one incredible, overwhelming, gentle light. Some vaeltaja say they saw Olivia the Thunder at one wing of the flying formation. For whatever reason nobody doubted it.
There was no shadow for three hours.
Mikansia, for the triumphant's part, floated in light. The triumphant watched as the Sword of Uriel fell, given that Mikansia had no solid hands to hold it with.
The Sword fell.
And fell.
And fell.
Glowing with the friction of re-entry, The Sword of Uriel entered a well in the City of Vigilance, nestled in the northern Etranger Mountains.
It came to a ringing rest in an anvil.
Which rested atop Uriel the Archangel.
Who will remain asleep until the time comes for him to arise and fight the Arch-Demon Eous once again, in the Armageddon to come.
But that time is not here. Not yet.
But all times are now in the face of the Flame, which is ever the same and ever-changing.
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