The Death of Malice

[Isis]

The Island of Aerie - The Battle Begins!

"And from your storm of destruction will ALWAYS come the seeds of REBIRTH and there SHALL I BE. Through my avatar, your SEED will no longer be vexed by you. He will love as he was meant to, with YOU kept at bay."

:: The words of the goddess herself sifted through Dominique's mind as she stood there, in between Harbinger and Shadow Weaver. Her mind would not allow her to listen to any instructions or commentary. She had a single purpose tonight - and that was to destroy Set once and for all. Isis made a promise to Nicolas that he would live his life, safe and without FEAR, and Dominique was on the precipice of failing him once more. Thanks to Diana - a woman she trusted enough to once help her eliminate the threat of him. The woman who understood THEN how deadly of a threat he was to the world. NOW? She was playing a desperate game, fully willing to end the world to get what she wanted. ::

"My focus is SET....but if I lock onto that TRAITOR on the battlefield, I will punish her so SEVERELY, Isis herself will have no choice but to STRIP me of my MANTLE."

:: She sensed the others breaking off to their locations and pulled her focus from her mind and back onto the battlefield, sending a glance of understanding with her aqua blue eyes to both Harbinger and Shadow Weaver, and closed her eyes for a moment. Winds began to sweep through the area as a swirl of golden orbs and flowing energy manifested around her, calling forthe The Sceptre of Isis, gripping it tightly in her hand. ::

Harbinger: "Now, Shadow Weaver."

:: A cloaking spell was cast as Harbinger ignited raised her own shields, and just like that - a GIANT hole ripped across the sky as various demons and creatures of the night poured from it like rain itself. They were the things that lived in The Further, begging for souls to feed upon, and now they were being tempted with a group of some of the most powerful people in the world. They would HUNGER for The Birds of Prey and their allies, and would not stop until they were DESTROYED or successful. ::

"BEHOLD! MY RETURN! BOW BEFORE YOUR SAVIOR!"

:: His voice was still painful to hear after all these years, but she would NOT waiver. The sounds of battle and initial attacks were WASTED on her. She needed to destroy SET and she needed to do it QUICKLY. ::

"Wish me luck - and should I falter, you know what must be done."

:: Igniting her magick all around her in a brilliant swirling golden flurry of orbs and sparkling crackles of energy she took to the SKY, flying high up into the air and with GREAT speed, extending her sceptre out in front of her. The sheer number of creatures falling from the sky was astonishing, as if Set had been building an army like this ever since he had been banished. She had already drug too many people into this, she had to give them a CHANCE to survive. ::

"Goddess! Give me strength! Watch over your daughter! Keep those on the ground SAFE! I implore thee!"

:: She said a silent prayer before stepping into action. ::

:: Her body shifted brilliantly almost at light speed into her SAND FORM, chaotically moving through the air in a rippling tornado like pattern, completely OBLITERATING hundreds of the horde in her way, their bones falling from the sky. She CONTINUED to carve a path toward the hole in the sky, only STOPPING until she saw the "rain" break. There were still hundreds on the ground, but she had MORE than put a cork in the tub before rematerializing all in the air, as she flashed her sceptre once more as it began to glow with her energy signature, BLASTING her power into the tear in reality as she was met with a pair of glowing RED EYES she knew intimately. ::

Set: "Once again you have failed your goddess, and at the hands of a MORTAL WOMAN no less. I will remind Isis of the SHAME you have brought to her when I am finished breaking this world down around me."

"UGH!"

:: He barreled into her MID AIR and grabbed hold of her body, as they were catapulted out of The Further and into the Night Sky, visible to those on the ground but just barely. Isis shifted into sand, chaotically circling around him before materializing behind him, the orb on her sceptre bathed in golden light. ::

"Your continued existence was a COURTESY given ONE TIME, SET! THIS TIME?! I will UTTERLY destroy you. You will be NOTHING but a footnote in a long FORGOTTEN HISTORY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

<< BLAST!!!!! >>

:: The light from her sceptre BLASTED into him, bathing his body in her true and total power as the avatar of Isis, an energy that was more powerful than PLASMA, energy that felt like getting burned by the SUN. ::

"YOU will......[gritting against the feedback of her power] DIE!"

:: His roars of pain reverberated throughout the battlefield, but he had been able to fight....THROUGH IT?! ::

Set: "The WORLD will die, woman. At MY HANDS. At MY command! You sent me away but where you sent me, TAINTED me. Made me stronger. Made me able ---"

<< POW! >>

:: She felt the weight of his giant fist BARREL into her stomach, as she lost grip of her Sceptre for a moment, calling it back to her hand as she was launched back in the air, the wind completely removed from her lungs, her ribs, almost every single one of them cracked. She could feel her vision flickering. How did he withstand that attack?! ::

Set: "To TAKE whatever it is you have to SERVE and turn it BACK on you."

"Goddess...."

:: No. If he wanted this world. If he wanted her NEPHEW? He was going to have to FIGHT for it! ::

:: She channeled the power of her sceptre as it's golden hue surrounded her, calling upon it's HEALING properties to heal her wounds in record time. Isis couldn't trade blows with SET, but she COULD and WOULD destroy him. She gritted her teeth, still enveloped in her energy and she CHARGED at him with GREAT speed, firing off a SUCCESSION of high powered BLASTS into him like a laser gun, shifting in and OUT of her sand form as she wrapped around him and contorted, BLASTING him one right after another, the scene from down low looked like some kind of animated BRAWL, with two forms fighting for their lives, every now and then one of their faces could be made out in the fray, and with the power of Isis behind her, she knew she could last HOWEVER long it would take to bring him down. Now if only she could ignore the giant PIT in her stomach that still echoed with fear. She had to do this. She HAD to...WIN. ::

 

[Jezebel]

Minerva's Mansion - Aerie

"What the fuck have I actually gotten myself into this time?"

Rae repeated to herself as she was transported from a tense Clocktower to an even more tense, but very beautiful island. She had decided she spoke enough, and was very ready to be an active listener in this moment, because she had no idea what the plan was going to be. She had fought her own share of big bads, but this seemed on another level entirety. A god. The group of heroes made their awkward statements as both her and Oracle were lead towards the mansion, as the hairs on Rae's arms began to stand upright with goosebumps.

This place was...very powerful. The entire island seemed to be created...but something other than God. It was as if was both supposed to exist and not, but that it had existed for many many years, in many different realities. And the words of the dead began to speak to her. She pushed them out of her mind immediately, but could not help to see many ghosts walking through the halls as she was led to a room with Zizi. The two made their way towards separate corners as Rae tried to settle herself, but found it was not as easy as she had intended. The goosebump feeling returned.

"Whoah whoah whoah - who the fuck are YOU?"

There was a presence in the room with them that she had sensed since arriving on Aerie, one that she could not make heads or tails of. It had a soul, but it was not something still alive in a traditional sense, something that was perpetual, but vaguely - human. Soon, the visage of a very tall, statuesque red head appeared before her and only her, and she was not communicating verbally. It was simply a flood of images. Images of a very long, and very complicated life coupled with FLASHES of different artifacts and objects of power. It was like an epic novel, and it suddenly became clear to her.

"Minerva."

The name of the mansion suddenly made sense. She had been the protector of this place before being reborn as...an amazon. Harbinger had taken her place, but this energy? This soul....would always remain here. The only question is...why was she revealing herself to Rae of all people, right now? Thankfully, the woman spoke, again only to her. Oracle would be none the wiser that virtually anything was happening around her.

Minerva: "I'm sorry for intruding like this, but - it is not often many who come to this island who can perceive energy, perceive ME the way that you can - truly it is a gift."

"Yeah, well some people are good at baseball, I'm good at seeing and perceiving things most others can't. What can I say?"

Minerva: "I will make this brief. Harbinger knows what is at stake, as she always does - but she has always had a blindspot when it comes to her sight, and that is her brother, Cameron."

"The Keeper of Time's BROTHER is Cameron King?! Oh Jesus Christ."

The revelation brought Rae no comfort, but it made sense. That kid had a metric TON of power in The Further, power enough to give her pause, and she still wasn't sure that he might not use this power at a later date to cause an event not unlike the one they were experiencing now.

Minerva: "I don't mean that in a negative way. I mean - there is a great cost in holding the mantle that she holds as well as the power she possesses. I've watched them over the years. He brings her so much warmth, he makes her better. Stronger. Able to look at things from outside her own visions. She needs that."

"That boy is a problem, Minnie."

Minerva: "He's her problem. I can sense your unease, that's part of the reason I'm here, but I implore you. I have watched him valiantly fight to save her in these very walls years ago. If she were to lose him, she would recover - but she would be lost forever. Please, protect him at all costs. For her."

"Well, shit lady, like I needed any more pressure."

She paused before sighing.

"But you have my word. I gotta son I feel the same way about. I'll do what I I can to see him through this."

Minerva gave her a nod before fading away into the ether, though her energy still felt all around her.

Oracle: "Rae, you okay?"

It felt like her vision SNAPPED back into reality at that moment, she gave Zizi a smirk.

"Is a frog's ass water right? Let's get into it..."

Rae sat back down in her chair, and closed her eyes as she shuddered for a moment, feeling almost a psychic RIP across her chest as she saw raining fire in one eye and a giant hulking monster in the other. She had no more time, she was going to have to go into this RAW. She said a silent prayer and let herself drift away from her body, opening her eyes as she landed on the ground in The Further very smoothly, so much so she wished Valkyrie had been there to see it - a woman she found herself constantly putting her foot in her mouth around. Something she would try to remedy when the world wasn't ending.

"My God....."

[in her ear] "I prefer Michael..."

She felt his presence by her side as she surveyed the craziest scene she had EVER seen in her entire life, and she had been to Woodstock. A hole. A giant fucking hole torn through the veil that separated The Further from the mortal world, with HORDES of demons clammoring over each other like World War Z to get out of it and FEED on the energies the island of Aerie held. This was bad. This was very bad. She cast out her power as a traveller, attempting to pick up on Cameron's energy, and much to her surprise, he was VERY close, so close that she could make him out just in the distance. He was just standing there - doing...nothing. She made her way over to him.

"Your plan is to just STAND there? Do you SEE what the hell is going on?"

Cameron: "I do, but I can't worry about that. I have to worry about HER."

Rae looked over to where Cameron was staring as she began to make out the scene he was watching with his own power - it was in the mansion, specifically where Haleigh and Nicolas were. She gasped audibly.

"So you failed..."

Cameron: "Not yet. I have to wait for the right moment, or all of this was for nothing."

Rae HISSED with contempt as she GRABBED his arm, to which he immediately rebuked. He refused to move his gaze from the scene in front of him while the world around him was burning, in MORE than one realm.

"LOOK! You are either a REALLY good person, or the world's greatest CULT leader because there are COUNTLESS people living AND dead who REALLY want you to get out of this ALIVE. I don't share that belief. I don't think your life is worth all THIS. I don't think ANYONE's is! This shit is going to have LASTING reprocussions on the world, I tried to WARN you."

He said nothing to her.

"You got about as long as it takes me to fix this HOLE in the sky, kid. Then your ass is coming with me, whether you like it or NOT!"

It was pointless to talk him out of this, and she could be of more help to those on the ground. She wasn't going to let him die, but it was clear that whatever he was about to do...he had to do it. So she spun around and tried not to vomit at the sight of the horde still clamoring it's way out of the tear and she called out to the archangel Michael.

"I'm gonna need your sword."

Michael: "It is always yours, Gloriana."

She was overwhelmed by their connection as swirling energies flickered around her, completely enveloping her as she bonded to him. She had done this once before, when she had to sever The Unloved from Rose, but this would be a FULL transformation. Her form shined like a beacon in the darkness for a moment before she reappeared, in her truest, most powerful form on The Other Side - of her angelic soul - of Gloriana. And Gloriana was not a woman in her sixties. She was a timeless ephereal being compromised of all the lives of service and faith she had lived combined. As Gloriana, she could hold the tears of the veil in her hands and sow them back together, but first? She was going to kick some demon ass.

Her sword reverberated with POWER as her wings manifested behind her and she BARRELED forth, fully embracing every moment. So much in her human life she felt weak. Tired. Achy bones. Potential arthritis, it was in the rare moments that she could be THIS that she felt more alive than EVER.

"The Power of Christ compels you....BITCH!"

She met with the horde in brilliant confrontation.

 

[Orion]

Minerva’s Aerie

They sprang into action fairly quickly, with Zach and Ash going into her old room to grab their gear. Zach hurriedly changed from his casual clothes to his battle armor, clipping a pistol on his hip not because he thought he’d need it, but just in case. He carried what looked like a high tech, full face motorcycle helmet. All suited up, he’d be basically bomb-proof, but the helmet could wait for now.

Isis brought them to Aerie, where they met up with Alison and what was left of the Six. Morgan, Delilah, and Haleigh. Alison laid out the plan, passing out talismans to offer psi protection. Zach took two, turning first to Ash to affix the necklace around her before securing his own. Haleigh thanked them for coming and Delilah spoke up too, then Ziz reminded Zach that him and Ash could tag team like they did before. Zach smiled, glancing at his bride and nodding.

“We got this.”

Zizi and Rae split off to provide overwatch, while Haleigh mentioned going to be with Nic. If Zach was being honest, he would’ve liked to have Haleigh in the battle space with them. She was a one-woman army, and while it was clear to him that she’d sustained serious emotional damage during her time at Hellfire, he knew that wouldn’t impact her ability to fight. But they had decided that she’d be best placed at Nic’s side, and Zach figured somebody knew why that was needed. He hoped she would be successful, he hoped she pull out a clutch play and save Nicolas from Malice. Maybe an actual win would help her recover a bit emotionally.

He didn’t have much more time to think about it. The whole place shook so hard Zach nearly fell down, but Ash caught him. He looked at her gratefully as the wind whipped through her hair. A deafening cracking noise sounded, and an actual tear opened up in the sky, with hordes of creatures raining down. Zach blew Ash a kiss and then pulled his helmet on, dampening the wind noise a bit. Morgan was asking for the heavy-hitters to step up. Ash asked him if he was ready.

He took a deep breath and nodded as he started to gather his energy in the palm of his hands. Red electric currents ran down his arms to form spheres at his fingertips. Morgan suggested that one hell of a blast from him should do the trick, and he nodded again. He outstretched his arms and then clapped his hands together, sending the energy out in a horizontal shockwave that washed over every thing within 50 yards of them. Most creatures were rocked a bit, a few dozen fully stumbled back, and then after a split second, the horde seemed to going berserk — on each other. They fought amongst themselves, thinking the heard and creating the opportunity for all the good guys to pick them off fairly easily.

 

[Recall]

The Island of Aerie

VIvica was scared. She wasn't going to say anything but she was scared. She'd fought a lot of terrible things during her tenure with The Six. And she'd seen any number of human horrors in her field hours with Clandestine. But this was just...different. They were about to try and fight against a God. What was Vivica going to do against a god? Copy his dance moves to perfection? She was here because the birds were here. And if the world was going to end, she wanted to end it with them. But still, she was scared. After a tense reunion with Isis, they where whisked away to Aerie, a place that Vivica had never been. But it was like a current ancestral home to Cameron and Alison. She thought of Cameron for a moment. Vivica had been overcompensating with a lot of bravado lately, saying that she was over everything...and she was from an objective point of view. She just hated moments like these that tugged her heart strings. It was very likely that Cameron was going to die, and that hurt her. Despite the mess he had left behind, it seemed like he was very close to finally getting everything he wanted - which was basically Haleigh. She wanted that for the both of them.

Harbinger: "And Elizabeth York. I had hoped we would meet under better circumstances than last time, but alas, that is not our fate. As usual. Nevertheless, you and your team area very welcome here on Aerie."

Recall did not hide the rolling of her eyes. It was only a matter of time before Alison and her ilk tried to woo Elizabeth into the Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss cult. She knew Zizi was too smart and too nice for that, but it annoyed her. Earlier in the year, it seemed like everyone was tripping over their dick to halfheartedly apologize to her for the way they had treated her in the past. With Morgan? She had actually made peace. With Alison? It hadn't been so easy. But her main take away from that conversation was that she just didn't like Alison Marble, and she was never going to. In the past, it had been jealousy. Currently, it was because Alison was a bitch. It made no sense and all the sense in the world that Cameron threw himself at his sister. And the relationship that they had was in SPITE of Alison, not because of her. And Vivica just wasn't convinced that some day at some point, Cameron would have a giant hole in his heart thanks to her. But that was just her personal opinion.

Harbinger: "I know the situation seems dire, but we do have an advantage - many of us here have faced Set before, and WON. We have faced Malice before, and WON. Don't forget that - these enemies can and have been beaten, and we can do it again."

None of this comforted her, but it was something of inspiration she guessed. She took the pendant from Alison and placed it around her neck. Soon the group was separated, and Vivica found herself on the battlefield of all places, along side Zach, Ashley, Delilah and Morgan. She exhaled deeply and did her best to calm her nerves, as she didn't want Zach to sense her nerves and be worried. She came back to New York because it was the right thing. She was gonna fight. She was gonna do her best. And then she was going to take a very, very long hot bath.

Oracle: "Testing - Recall can you read me?"

"Loud and clear as always, Oracle. Go ahead."

Oracle: "Video coverage is weak and somehow satellite images show ocean where Aerie should be, so you're my eyes and ears out there. If we had time I'd have installed some cameras, but if wishes were horses..."

"Then beggars would ride. Copy Oracle, I'll make sure to give you as full a view of the field as I can."

Winds began to blow through the area at a violent speed as a GIANT roar could be heard. This was it. Shit shit shit. This was it. And then a giant tear ripped through the sky and the very fabric of reality. Immediately Vivica connected to the chip in her brain and downloaded any and all information she had ever read about quantum physics, metaphysical planes, and magick, which was...not surprisingly all that much. She blamed it on the SIster Sister reunion she had binged on the plane ride over, but in short, despite how readily available Vivica was able to absorb and interpret information, she was going in rather blind. But she was standing next to a valkyrie, the ruler of limbo, a woman that could make a frickin' wormhole, and the man who saved her life, gave her life, and let her live it. It was time to find her balls and let them hang loose.

Oracle: "Is everyone seeing that giant tear in the sky?"

"Kinda hard to miss, Oracle. But yes, can confirm. Giant hole in the goddamn sky."

Darkspawn and crazy looking beasts of various size and horror began to rain down from the sky. She tensed despite herself. Thankfully Morgan and Ashley took the lead.

Spellbinder: "And...thank you, birds. For being here. Please, be safe...be SMART...and be deadly."

Valkyrie: "Heavy hitter, checking in."

"BEHOLD! MY RETURN! BOW BEFORE YOUR SAVIOR!"

"Shit."

Vivica flexed her boomerangs as the vibranium hummed in the air with a pulsating symbolic energy. Immediately Harbinger and Shadow Weaver used their power to erect shields and protection for the group as Spellbinder weaved her non magick power to distill the horde and give them some breathing room. Ashley shot arrow after arrow, slicing foes down with ease. Morgan called out to Zach.

Spellbinder "One HELL of a blast of your power should do the trick or at least STUN them."

Vivica didn't have that kind of time. In an instant a horde of creatures had managed to navigate around Spellbinder's stepping disc and LEAPING into the air. Instinctively, Recall thrust out her vibranium boomerangs as they weaved a pattern of destruction, but it was not enough. They kept coming. Vivica eyed Ashley on the battlefield and began to memorize her movements. The foes they were facing were old, ancient and otherwordly. Modern fight styles were not going to cut it. She began to duplicate Valkyrie's battle stance in real time (with far less strength), as she fought her way through the snarling hisses of the demons swarming her.

"No!"

The battlefield was becoming so cluttered and overwhelming. So much so that even some things that a living super computer missed as a demon bared down on Vivica, pinning her to the ground and snarling in her face like she was Sigourney Weaver in Alien. Her body was shaking. She closed her eyes. It was too strong. She couldn't fight it. The demon was too strong.

She heard Orion clap his hands together and everything began to move in slow motion. It felt like she was tripping on shrooms. Everything rippled as it moved, and her brain began to know things...on a different level. She could sense Zach, but not in the same way she usually interpreted him, she could sense...his gene. The very gene that allowed him to do what it is that he did. His power. All at once a brillaint rainbow hued aura began to envelop and surround Recall. She felt...at sync with him. Well, more specifically his power. He had caused the horde to fight each other. And suddenly she felt, the same ability in her. She opened her eyes and stared at the demon staring her down, and she thought of Zach. She used his power to make the demon afraid of her as it lept from her body, screeching and running in the opposite direction. Blinking her eyes for a few moments, she rose to her feet on pure adrenaline, not really knowing what happened. Looking at herself the rainbow like aura around her still hovered, and she realized, that she was getting information from it. Like it was a part of her. Her mind focused on Spellbinder. Teleportation.

<< VROOM! >>

Vivica suddenly found herself standing right next to Valkyrie in the field, her aura still glowing. She ducked as Valkyrie was about to make a killing blow, lurching back up after the kill and smirking.

"Sorry for the timing, but I don't know what the fuck is going on."

[pausing]

"DUCK!"

A demon took the opportunity and barreled in between them, but at the last second it dissappeared in a bright white sparkling stepping disc at her command. Her eyes widened.

"Or not. Whatever."

 

[Oracle]

Aerie - Harbinger's Study

Oracle could hear and see Recall and her POV, but other than that she was pretty much constrained to the Mansion and its immediate vicinity.

Black Widow: “You should see more feeds appearing now, Oracle. I’ll stream my POV as well, just so you can give the others a heads up in case that’s needed.”

Oracle did a new scan and her screen was suddenly filled by video footage of Zachary's backside. It thankfully shrunk into a corner as more squares containing video popped up in a grid in front of her. Oh, there was one for each person. She quickly assigned each a label with its bearer's name.

"Wow! Thank you Black Widow - that sure is handy."

She wondered how she might replicate that in the future. Knowing Black Widow's power set, it had to have some mechanical basis...maybe if she... Oracle shook herself, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

There was no more time, and the battle was joined. Spellbinder was using her stepping discs to great effect. Valkyrie was lighting groups of foes up with exploding arrows that spread fire. MorningStar had successfully disoriented their foes, then proceeded to blow them up with photon blasts. Isis had blasted through their enemies in her sand form. Orion had turned their foes against each other. And Recall was slashing through them with her boomerangs. All was going like a well oiled machine. Almost.

Oracle's eyes scanned the feeds in front of her, taking them all in at once, painting a bigger picture in her head. Her eyes were drawn to Haleigh's feed. She and Nicolas were in a lower room of the Mansion, talking. The poor boy had chained himself up. But there was something... She gestured with her fingers and the square enlarged and moved to the center of the screen. She peered at the image of Nicolas, quite close to the camera that was Black Widow. Something changed in Nicolas' face, and then she saw a hand come up. Black Widow was moving...something was wrong. And then a knee connected to a private part of Nicolas' anatomy and it was clear that there was a struggle between the two. Oracle unconsciously leaned back away from the screen. It could only mean one thing.

"Malice has taken control of Rampage. Black Widow has engaged her."

She flicked back through the other feeds. Zizi's mouth ran dry.

"Isis has made it to the Rip and is fighting Set. We've got to get the b team under control so we can help her. Valkyrie, now would be a good time to put some fear of the gods in them - MorningStar and Orion have got them well softened up for you. And-"

She stopped, because something caught her attention in Ashley's feed. A glimpse as Recall passed through her line of sight. She rewound the footage. There was something glowing around her. Then as she went back to real time, Vivica appeared from nowhere in front of Ashley.

"Um, Recall? What the fudge is going on with you?"

 

[Rampage]

Minerva’s Aerie — Underground

Malice wasn’t sure what her daughter was waiting for, but the girl was distracted and Diana was going to take advantage of that. She scrambled down low for the only apparent weapon, a very special looking axe. It seemed to fit her hand perfectly. From a kneeling position, she swung it at her daughter, all too eager to chop her in half. She was sure afterward she could use this axe on the chain attached to her wrist.

Her daughter seemed to sense the danger. As the axe whooshed through the air, Scion’s hand dropped to a ‘stop’ gesture. As it did, Malice felt her own wrist dragging hard. The clever little girl had grabbed a mental hold of the chain to stifle Malice’s swing. Malice switched the axe to her free hand quickly and completed a backhand swing to connect with Scion’s hip. The suit she was wearing seemed to offer some protection, yet still there was a grunt of pain from the girl, who hobbled sideways out of reach as the chain began to reel Malice down to the floor by her wrist.

She could tell Scion was losing steam. The girl didn’t retreat far and ended up leaning against the desk just a few feet away. Diana laughed when her daughter flipped her the bird. Malice had never felt stronger in her life and there was no WAY she was going to give her daughter a chance to rest. She grabbed a hold of the chain with both hands and got both feet in position to pull it up from the floor. The boy’s body was strong, but still she had to pull with all her might before Scion’s mental hold on it slipped.

She picked up the axe for another swing at her daughter, who was still hunched over the desk. Scion surprised her with a sudden lunge, getting inside the range of the axe and catching Malice’ arm at the elbow, stuffing her swing. Diana smiled to see the look of hateful determination in her daughter’s eyes. Malice threw a quick jab and felt the crunch of Scion’s nose under her knuckles. The girl was stunned as blood spurted out of her face. Malice kicked out a foot, sweeping the girl’s legs out from under her.

”You chose poorly, Scion. You’ll be punished for your defiance. After I destroy the body you’re in, I’ll free myself and go after Delilah. You’ll respawn just in time to see her die a horrible death, I’ll make sure of it.”

She said, and she swung the axe with both hands, aiming for the exposed skin of girl’s neck, above the collar of her battle suit.

 

[Valkyrie]

Aerie - Outside

They were chipping steadily away at the demon hordes. It was clear that crowd control was a strength of this particular group. As long as they could keep their enemies at a distance, they would be easy to pick off. Oracle was giving them the play by play of what they couldn't see. Ashley bowed her head briefly at the news that Rampage had been taken over by Malice. They'd known it would happen - it had seemed inevitable - but it still made her stomach sink. She had truly liked the kid - and he was as brave a fighter as she'd ever seen.

Oracle: "Isis has made it to the Rip and is fighting Set. We've got to get the b team under control so we can help her. Valkyrie, now would be a good time to put some fear of the gods in them - MorningStar and Orion have got them well softened up for you."

"You read my mind. We can't let Isis have all the fun."

She slung her bow onto her back. A dark cloud seemed to pass over Ashley's face as it became more skeletal, her eye sockets darker.

Valkyrie drew her sword and pointed it at the enemy. Intimidation and fear, self-doubt poured out of her.

"You cannot stand against the All-Father's chosen! Return to your proper realm, Helspawn, or die!"

She swung her sword in a moulinet, then charged ahead. The demons were breaking through their shields. The two-handed sword sang through the air, cleaning taking off a head before Valkyrie spun, bringing the sword back up in a wide arc. She sliced through arms, legs, leaving pieces of bodies scattered in her wake. She ran her sword through some sort of creature with ears, then lifted her foot and pushed off its chest to free the blade. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something that looked like a corpse, and brought the pommel end to her right across her body and used it to smash in its skull, before slashing back to the left at the next creature that was coming at her. She took it's head cleanly, but too late saw that Vivica was somewhat stupidly standing right next to her. Thankfully, she'd ducked.

"What the HEL are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Recall: "Sorry for the timing, but I don't know what the fuck is going on."

"Clearly! For fuck's sake..."

Recall: "DUCK!"

A demon was coming at them, but before she could counter it, it went into some sparkly thing and didn't come out the other side.

Recall: "Or not. Whatever."

Ashley narrowed her eyes. She pointed at Vivica.

"YOU stay behind me while you get your head on straight."

Oracle: "Um, Recall? What the fudge is going on with you?"

"Some weird shit's definitely happening with her."

Valkyrie turned back to the fray, keeping one eye on Recall, the other continuing to cut down the fiends that kept coming and coming.

 

[Harbinger]

Aerie - Outside

Harbinger stood with Shadow Weaver and Isis, her sister magick users, standing in the gap against a foe they'd faced once before - but one who had acquired new tricks, it seemed.

Isis: "Wish me luck - and should I falter, you know what must be done."

Harbinger nodded.

"We will do what is necessary. Good luck and the goddess grant you speed, Isis."

She disappeared in a whirl of sand and golden light, leaving just the two witches. Alison could already feel her shields failing. Creatures were already starting to break through.

Harbinger's eyes bled to a solid blue, as she "saw" the fight happening deep below the Mansion.

Oracle: "Malice has taken control of Rampage. Black Widow has engaged her."

So that was how it was to be then. Alison forced the emotions away. Right now, defeating their enemies was the only object.

Harbinger raised her time staff, warping time around Rampage's body, now inhabited by Malice, slowing him down while allowing Black Widow to move in real time.

Oracle: "Isis has made it to the Rip and is fighting Set. We've got to get the b team under control so we can help her. Valkyrie, now would be a good time to put some fear of the gods in them - MorningStar and Orion have got them well softened up for you."

Delilah had disoriented the army facing them, and Zach had turned them on each other. Valkyrie - as much as Alison didn't want to admit it - compounded the disorganization of their foes with her powers. Now it was time to finish them.

“Firebird, take to the air - use your flame attack and make short work of these creatures!”

Firebird: "You got it Harbinger!"

Blaze leapt into the air, soaring above the horde of dark beings. She thrust her arms out in front of her and swept their lines with a beam of fire. Some were instantly cinderized, some caught fire and flailed around widely before falling to the ground.

A trio of creatures which could only be called vampiric in nature were coming at her and Karen, her shield too weakened to hold them back any longer. Mike dispatched one with Madelyn, making a hole where it's head had been. Harbinger thrust out her hand.

"Hearts!"

The remaining two vampires crumpled to dust as she held their black hearts in her hand. More were coming through. She raised her hands in front of her, true freezing groups at a time, then gesturing so that they exploded.

"Keep at it! We've got them on the run!"

 

[Set]

Minerva’s Aerie — Above the Fray

He watched the battle begin with great anticipation. The small group of foes gathered beneath him presented a strong front, but they would not hold up against the masses forever. It was a war of attrition, and he had the numbers to win. There was only one combatant to really concern himself with, the avatar of Isis.

"Once again you have failed your goddess, and at the hands of a MORTAL WOMAN no less. I will remind Isis of the SHAME you have brought to her when I am finished breaking this world down around me."

He charged her, pushing her back out of the further, and then she slipped through his arms as sand. She squawked some threats at him and blasted him with her scepter. He ROARED in pain, at first. Then he started to take in her power.

"The WORLD will die, woman. At MY HANDS. At MY command! You sent me away but where you sent me, TAINTED me. Made me stronger. Made me able ---"

<< POW! >>

He slammed his fist into her stomach, launching her through the air.

"To TAKE whatever it is you have to SERVE and turn it BACK on you."

He said, and then he let her heal herself, because he did not want the fight to be over too quickly. She started to charge him, sending blasts from her scepter again and shifting in an out of sand form. He juked and dodged the short blasts for a bit, exercising his agility. This was the most excitement he’d had in quite a while. However, he would not dance with her forever.

“Do you know what becomes of sand when it is struck by lightning?”

He asked, and then:

“RESHEP YAKARADNI AL-BARG!”

(Reshep lend me lightning!)

Dark Clouds rolled out of the tear in the sky, and from them, blindingly bright branches of reached out, wrapping around his form. He hovered there, soaking it in for a few moments, no longer bothering to dodge the pitiful little blasts from her scepter. He pointed at her, shooting lightning bolts from his fingertips at her, forcing her on the defense.

Then he looked down upon the battlefield to see the puny mutants making far too much progress on his army. He decided it was time to slow them down. He raised up a massive SANDSTORM, covering the entire island with blowing sand, scouring everything and everyone and making it impossible to see more than just a few feet in any direction— if they could even keep the sand out of their eyes. It would be hard to breathe the dusty air as well, but the demons would fight through it. His demons would fight to the death no matter what.

 

[MorningStar]

Aerie - Outside

Isis was plowing through their enemies in her sand form, and they were no match for her. There was still no visible sign of Set, however. Regardless, they all knew he was here, lurking somewhere. But they were doing reasonably well picking off his ground forces. And strangely, it felt like they were working together - more like the old times, where everyone came together and their enemies were no match for them.

And then they got the word that Malice had taken Nicolas.

"Damnit!"

It had happened too quickly, seemingly too easily. But she couldn't yet consider Nicolas as lost. There was still hope.

Come on Cameron, it's up to you now, we need you to end her NOW.

Haleigh could buy him time, but not forever. And she didn't want to think about what they would have to do if Malice got past Haleigh in Nicolas' body. But she also knew they would do it. They would have to.

The battle above ground still raged. She scanned the field. Their foes were in chaos from a combination of her, Zach and Ashley's attacks. And everyone was fighting bravely, making headway against the army. Alison called for Blaze to take out the disoriented creatures.

Harbinger: “Firebird, take to the air - use your flame attack and make short work of these creatures!”

"I've got your back, Firebird."

MorningStar moved forward, extending her arms in front of her with her two hands in a "stop" motion. She fired a laser blast, sweeping the battlefield and cleaning up any stragglers that Blaze's fire attack missed.

"Okay, Isis, lead him to us and we'll finish him off together!"

But then...

Oracle: "I know this is hard to believe...but there's a massive sandstorm heading for you."

She heard a strange whirring noise, and then she could see it. And a beat later she could feel it and could barely see anything. She raised her hands and tendrils of white light emanated from her fingers, creating a laser shield in front of them.

"Get behind me!"

She tried to shield them as best as she could, but it could only do so much against the swirling sand.

 

[Black Widow]

The Island of Aerie — Underground

Haleigh called for the sword, and reached up to ‘catch’ it. She couldn’t hold out much longer at this rate. She wasn’t sure what would happen faster, her asphyxiation or him beating her to death. It was insane to her how fast the fight was going against her. She thought she’d known his strength. Her suit was fucking nuclear blast proof. She was fairly durable in her own right. She’d have taken less damage from falling off a fucking cliff naked.

<<CAUTION: BLOOD OXYGEN 55%, DECREASING.>>

Her vision was starting to tunnel, getting dark and blurry at the peripheral edges. Her lungs burned for air, but she pushed on. Once she got the sword she could end it. It was almost over, and she tried not to think about the consequences of it beyond stopping Malice. She heard the chain rattle, and then something slicing through the air. She looked down, and had to search around for the source of the noise. It was like looking through a pair of goggles.

There! Nic was knelt, swinging the axe at her. She focused on the chain attached to his wrist. It was moving much slower than the axe and easier to get a mental ‘grip’ on. She stopped his initial swing and he quickly switched hands. Well, shit. The axe struck her hard in the left side of her hip. She got the alerts for torn ligaments and ripped tendons. The suit stopped the blade from biting, but blunt force was another matter. He had to be stronger even than the Silver Swan, or maybe the axe had some special damage enchantment, or maybe both. Haleigh nearly collapsed, but managed instead to hobble toward the desk for support, while dragging Nic away by his chain.

That HURT, MOTHERFUCKER!

She thought, but then she realized her mother couldn’t hear her thoughts, so she flipped her the bird while she leaned on the desk. Nic gave a laugh, and then pulled the chain up from the floor, out of Haleigh’s grasp. She was so goddamned tired she could hardly think.

<<CAUTION: BLOOD OXYGEN 40%, DECREASING.>>

Nic started to swing the axe again, and Haleigh burst forward from the desk, stopping his arm at the elbow. She was running on nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred. She was going to stop her mother, even if it killed her. Her vision was too tunneled to see the jab. He got her hard in the nose, so hard her head rocked back, and her whole body with it. She only stayed upright because she was hanging onto his arm. Then she felt her feet get swept out from under her, and she dropped to the stone floor with a heavy thud.

Blood drained from her nose onto the floor, and for a second she was stunned. She looked up to see the axe coming down again, but there was something happening. Some kind of swirls of energy were wrapping his body, and he was slowing down. She was getting help from somewhere, presumably Alison since he appeared to be in a time warp.

Oh thank fuck!

She thought, manifesting a round adamantium shield to block the axe with. It was large enough for her to huddle under, and she had time to spare now. She manifested a braided steel hose and forced it down her throat. When she got it in place she mentally expanded the steel fibers, stenting her trachea open again. She Sputtered and gasped in precious air, then spent several seconds coughing up blood. The whole cavernous room rang with the sound of the axe striking her metallic shield, and she felt the impact reverberating in her bones.

Come on Morgan, I’m getting MURDERED down here!

 

[Spellbinder]

Aerie

<< Spellbinder's focus was singular in this moment - to DESTROY the horde and keep a clean path between Isis and Set. And with every swift strike from her soul sword, she began to feel like she was making progress. More than that, it appeared that the birds were surprisingly battle ready. She wasn't worried about Delilah - she could handle her own, but Isis' insistence that the birds of prey fight alongside them didn't sit well with Morgan at first. It seemed like they were already going to lose Nicolas - she didn't want their deaths on The Six's hands. >>

<< ZARK! >>

<< She brought her blade down on the center of a demon's head and sliced through it like BUTTER as she charged forward, utilizing her super strength as she went, barreling through them like BOWLING PINS! >>

<< Morgan looked up to the sky to see Isis fighting for her life against Set, and it looked like, for a moment, that she was finally starting to get the drop on him - until... >>

“RESHEP YAKARADNI AL-BARG!”

<< Morgan's icy violet eyes widened as she watched storm clouds gather in the sky at GREAT speed and proceeded to STRIKE Isis with bolts of thunder and began to raise a giant sandstorm in the air, causing Spellbinder to take flight with GREAT speed to get above of the fray, and she was barelling straight towards ISIS herself, catching her in her arms as she watched the storm rip through AERIE. She sat Isis mid-air, and grabbed her by the shoulders, their eyes meeting, both frought with uncertainty. >>

"Get him, Isis! We did it before and we'll do it again!"

<< They shared a moment of silence together as Morgan took flight once more, again calling upon her elemental connection to the element of WIND, attempting to use GALE FORCE winds to dissipate the sand in a pattern over the island as those on the ground began to rise their own defenses. >>

<< She turned back to see Isis and Set once again in a dangerous fire fight, trading blows back and forthe with great speed, tearing into each other over and over again...and though she didn't want to admit it - Isis WASN'T winning this fight. This was not good. Not at all. >>

"Come on Morgan, I'm getting MURDERED down here!"

<< Haleigh. She had ignored the first call because she had been confident, and because she was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. But now it appeared that they were losing on both fronts. Morgan was sure she could help destroy Set with her soul sword. But if she helped Isis, Haleigh would be gone. Which meant...Nicolas was already gone. She was frozen in time, hovering in the sky, her hair flowing in the wind. >>

"I'm so sorry, Nicolas. I love you...."

<< Taking her hand that bared the soul sword she HURLED it downward towards the ground as it dissappeared in a stepping disc, manifesting in FULL power in Haleigh's hand as the same eldritch armor that usually covered Morgan now began to manifest on Haleigh, though it appeared to look more... "technological" in nature. Taking a deep breath, she decided that if she was going to go down, it would be swining. She turned around and sped forward. >>

"Hey SET! We have a SCORE to settle you SON OF A BITCH!"

<< She catapulted into him with ALL of her strength and speed as she wrapped her legs around his hips, repeatedly punching him in the face as she summoned her winds around them, encasing them in a cyclone like construct flowing through the sky. She called out to Isis. >>

"Isis! It is time for us to send this man back to HELL! Blast him with all you got!"

 

[Black Widow]

The Island of Aerie — Underground

Haleigh hunkered down under her shield, grateful for a moment’s respite as Nic lifted the axe for another slow-motion downward swing. She glanced at her arm in X-ray vision. Yes, the fractures from getting pummeled were now getting worse as she pushed herself past broken. Every part of her hurt. Her arm trembled with fatigue. At least she could breathe now. Her Blood Oxygen level was climbing again, her visual aperture opening back up to full range. Then the Soul Sword appeared in her hand.

YES!

CLANGGGGGGG!

The axe landed on her shield again, rattling her. The Soul Sword fucking SANG in her hand, as mechanical eldritch armor manifested down her arm. It was bonding with her, and if she hadn’t been in a fight for her life she might’ve stopped to appreciate it. She grasped the hilt firmly, as she felt Nic grab a hold of the edge of her shield and start to wrench it away. Haleigh let him have the shield, as she lifted the blade and leapt up into him.

She threw everything she had into the strike, and still it felt like trying to stab granite. She hooked her other arm around his neck, pulling him towards her as she forced the sword up through his belly, under his rib cage and upward into his heart. It took all of her considerable strength to drive it through him.

He stopped smiling, his expression shifting to one of pain. Her shield clattering on the stone was the only sound. She pressed her forehead against his, clinging to him as if that might keep him here, but she thought she could feel his life energy being soaked up by the sword in her hand.

“I’m so sorry…”

She rasped in a whisper, supporting him as his body slacked in her arms. She pulled the sword out of him, letting him down gently and kneeling there to cradle him. She told him again that she was sorry, in a voice that sounded rough. She wasn’t even sure he heard her. He was dead already. She started to sob and couldn’t stop herself. All the shit she’d been holding in just flooded out of her uncontrollably. The distance she’d never close with Delilah, the damage she saw in Ava, Morgan’s downward spiral, losing Cameron and killing Nicolas, it all seemed to attack her at once. The only good thing was that there was no sign of her mother.

 

[Orion]

Minerva’s Aerie

For all the doomsday predictions and everyone’s warnings, the Birds of Prey were sure making short work of Set’s army of demon minions. They were slaughtering the cannon fodder like they’d been doing it as long as the Six.

“It’s almost like everyone underestimated us.”

He commented, as he watched the carnage unfold. Zizi relayed the news that Malice had gotten to Nicolas, and Black Widow was handling it. There were varying degrees of dismay amongst the team, and Zach sapped those emotions from his comrades and tossed the feelings out to the enemy, little grenades of negativity creating pockets of destroyed morale amongst what was left of the demonic horde.

He had faith in Haleigh’s ability to take care of the situation. Of everyone here, there was probably no one better suited to withstand the threat presented by Malice in control of Nic. Zach had seen Haleigh pull off some Hail Mary plays, and that gave him confidence that she’d save Nic from Malice in the end.

Ash stepped up to do her thing, and Zach was there to amplify her effect. It was impressive, standing behind and watching the demons all flee. He slapped her ass playfully.

“Go get ‘em babe.”

He said, and then he started to boost his teammates with a strong sense of hope that they could win. Then Zizi announced a sandstorm, and sure enough, seconds layers gale force winds blasted them with sand and dust. Zach’s helmet filtered the air and the visor kept the sand out of his eyes. His body armor offered a great deal of coverage too, though he could feel the sand scraping away his skin at the edges of his sleeves and the crack between his helmet and his collar.

He shrugged his shoulders up to protect his neck and turned his back to the wind. He couldn’t see anyone else, or really hear anything over the sound of the sand scouring the surface of his helmet. He couldn’t see anyone, but he could sense them through their emotions. He searched for Ashley, whose ‘signal’ would be the strongest and most familiar to him, and started to move in her direction.

That was when the chest pains started, staggering his progress. He grabbed at his heart instinctively, as if that might help, but the agony worsened. Between the sudden grief and the sandstorm, he fell to his knees. What was happening? He felt so alone, like he’d lost everyone he cared about, like he’d lost all hope that anything could ever be good again. Worst of all, he felt like it was all his fault and there was no way to fix it. He wanted to vent the pain, but was worried that if he fired blindly he might hit a friendly with a blast of depression heavy enough to take them out of the fight. He would have to keep it to himself.

 

[Prophet]

The Further

He had failed. Talisman had distracted him. By the time he had reached Diana and Set in The Further it was too late, and he watched in horror as she took hold of Nicolas and Set ripped a hole in The Further and ascended into Aerie. All he could hear was his heartbeat, which was strange considering he didn't have a body. His mind went blank. It couldn't end here. It wouldn't. Delilah and Cameron had planned for almost everything, but they had underestimated Diana's level of desperation. It was simply something he didn't think she possessed and that was his mistake. So he had no choice but to fix his mistake.

Jezebel: "Your plan is to just STAND there? Do you SEE what the hell is going on?"

Prophet had no time to deal with Jezebel. Still, he politely obliged her.

"I do, but I can't worry about that. I have to worry about HER."

Jezebel: "So you failed.."

He gritted his teeth. There was still an opening. Diana thought him dead, and her possession of Nicolas was going to distract her.

"Not yet. I have to wait for the right moment, or all of this was for nothing."

She continued to speak, and Cameron heard none of it. He had to let this play out for a little bit. He hadn't seen Haleigh's face in he didn't know how long, but he hadn't intended the first sight of her to be fighting for her life against Diana in Rampage's body. He hated it. She had fought so many friends, she had gone through too much. He wanted to end this for her once and for all, but he couldn't let his compulsive desire to jump in be the sloppy mistake that killed them both and brought about the end of the world. So he watched.

"You can do this Cameron..."

Slowly, Prophet began to channel his power - all of his power. For the last few years, ever since he and Delilah had decided that Malice would die, he had done everything he could to make himself the most deadly version of Prophet that he could be - mind, body and soul. He trained endlessly and he taught himself how to do things that she couldn't.

He began to flicker with his signature electric red energy as it began to grow around him. Every ounce of power he called to himself, psychic, psionic, telepathic, astral he imbued it with a singular purpose - the utter destruction of Malice AND her soul. He was charging up for the biggest hit he would ever make in his life. He continued to watch as Haleigh fought Nicolas, resisting every urge to intervene. He needed to center himself.

The Further crackled with power the more he drew to himself, so much so that The Further itself began to reflect the brilliant red of his power signature. Deciding to kill Diana was one thing - figuring out how to do it was another, and in fact, he hadn't fully figured it out until about a year ago. For all his telepathic prowess, there were psionics around him that could do things he couldn't - useful things. Things that would help him. Ruby for instance, used her power to drain people of their very life essences in order to sustain her own. So when they were being held captive and tortured by Sister Mary Justice, he entered her mind and figured out how to do it. It only took him two tries on some low level Hellfire lackeys to successfully do it. And then there was Rose. He had never officially met her, but the amount of activity she caused on The Astral Plane was like nothing he had ever felt before. In fact he could almost taste her power. Over the next few months, Cameron carved out time to spend in the astral plane, replaying events from that battle over and over, allowing his body to absorb the little bits of her psycho power that remained, until he himself could create a similar effect, at least on the astral plane.

Haleigh: "I'm so sorry..."

He watched with surprise as The Soul Sword manifested in Haleigh's hands. Now was the time. As much as he hated it, Nicolas was gone the second Malice entered his brain, if she left it, he would become an agent of Set like he was destined to be. The Soul Sword would dislodge Malice and give him the right moment to make his move, and he did.

The second the soul sword made contact with Nicolas, he flexed his power and GRABBED Her, bringing her psyche and soul to him on The Further almost instantaneously. Immediately, he called upon the power she had learned from Rose, encasing Diana in a BRILLIANT white pillar of PURE astral energy, energy so strong that attempting to fight through it would tear her apart completely. It held her in place as Cameron couldn't even risk giving her one of his signature smirks. His voice remained calm.

"We meet again...did you miss me?"

[pausing]

"No wait. Don't answer that. Let me see for myself..."

He lashed out at her with his power. Here she had no PSI Screen. Here, all her secrets were his to take. His to know. So much of her survival had been her mystery. So he did what he knew would hurt her the most - he entered her mind. He sifted through each of her memories, from the moment of her birth until this very moment. Every secret pain, every part of her that still hurt, everything that she had forcefully hidden and locked away in her psyche, he unlocked. He took the time to get to know her, every single part of her in great detail - and then he took it apart. Bit by bit, piece by piece. While holding her still in a pillar of bright white raw astral energy, he lashed out with his own power, engulfing the area in his energy, dissipating any number of countless horde that continued to crawl out of the tear in the sky. His energy could be seen from those on the ground in Aerie. He spoke to Malice, his voice stereophonic and clear.

"I have waited...so long for this, and yet...I struggle to find the right words to say...."


"Everything I am...you made me. Everything I have lost, you took. Every peace I have ever known, you have destroyed..."


"But I am not alone in this...."

Using her memories and his power as a mystic, he began to call the spirits of many of her victims over the years as their haunting forms began to manifest next to him, standing at attention, their eyes piercing into her, a chorus of ghosts and spirits left in The Further, to never know peace. He would free them. The energy built around Prophet as he hovered in the air, his hands at either side, drawing every last bit of his power into himself, his eyes completely enveloped in red as he continued to speak, his voice booming throughout The Further. The chaotic feedback of his power began to crackle and spark all throughout the area as Prophet himself began to be outlined in a haunting red glow.

"For everything you TOOK from me...you also gave. You made me strong - strong enough to hold you should you need my body...but also strong enough to DESTROY you."

Energy began to flow from his hands, drawing a line between Prophet and Malice as it began to RIP into her, pulling every part of her spirit, of her psyche slowly apart, as he began to absorb it and dissipate it in the air around him completely. The feedback from his attack was chaos as it began to explode around him. He remained strong, his eyes never leaving hers.

"There will be no more bodies for you to hide in, there will be nothing of you LEFT. You will be only a MEMORY when I am done with you. Your legacy will DIE at my hands...and WHEN I return..."

It was like a vortext of energy swirling around him, Cameron barely visible as he hovered and drifted closer to Malice, who was now all but DISSOLVING in front of him, and when he became visible to her, he was adorned in his psionic armor, his PSI blade in one hand and a crackling red CROWN resting on top of his head.

"I will take your THRONE, I will take your DAUGHTER and make it my mission to dismantle every single thing you've ever accomplished. Just as you are about to fade from HERE? You will fade from HISTORY. All of your work, all of your accomplishments - they will mean NOTHING. YOU will mean nothing...."

Now was the time. His energy burned BRIGHT sending enveloping what seemed to be the ENTIRETY of The Further as he channeled it all into her, listening to her SCREAMS as the totality of his entire power began to asborb and dissolve her very psyche and soul, dissolving her, completely unwraveling the fabric of her very being.

"Goodbye, Malice..."

< AAARRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! >>

<< BOOOM! >>

Power EXPLODED all around him as Malice's soul shattered into a million diamond like fragments and Cameron began to absorb them, one by one, taking them in and making them nothing. He felt euphoric, he felt release as he began to draw all the remaining pieces of her into himself, expelling them as BLASTS of his own power. For several minutes The Further burned in his bright red as he continued to surge, almost unable to call his power back into himself. But then he did. And there was nothing. No demons, no spirits watching her public execution. Just him. He collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving, his very SOUL feeling drained as he scanned the area around him, his power so exponentially strong that he felt as if his mind was picking up thoughts from every single person on Earth. But there was one missisng. There was no Diana. She was gone. Mind. Body. Soul. She had been destroyed. He gave himself fifteen seconds. Fifteen seconds for tears. For hyperventilating. For feeling the euphoric joy that he was feeling. And then he had more work to do.

Set was still a problem, but he had been given a way to end that. Now he just had to use it. But first.

[to Delilah] "I did it....we did it. I'm back...but I have one last thing to do before I can get back to my body. Delilah, we did it. Malice is dead."

He hesitated with Haleigh. He had waited until the last possible second to pull Malice out of Nicolas, but he had to. The Soul Sword had given him the moment he needed. She wouldn't like it, but she would understand. And now was not the time for it.

[to Haleigh] "Hey Hales...I made it out alive...."

He SURGED toward the tear in the sky, on his way to help send Set back to Hell and get back to his body. Despite the fact that it was an apocalypse, he moved with a smile on his face the entire time.

 

[Black Widow]

The Island of Aerie — Underground

When she was out of tears she took a breath, and then wiped her face with the sleeve she had left. More accurately she tried to wipe her face, but the combination of tenderness around her broken nose and the obvious smearing of blood convinced her to give up on that endeavor.

She scooped him up and carried him over to the bed. She went back for his axe, laying it on his chest and folding his hands onto the shaft. She released the shackle and tossed the chain away.

I’m sorry, Nic.

She could think of nothing else. At least he was free from this hellish reality they’d sunk into. She couldn’t stay down here with him. Even though she’d done her part, that didn’t mean it was over. One glance at Oracle’s feeds told her the battle was still raging above ground. There was apparently still Set to deal with, and Haleigh wasn’t one to quit before the fight was over.

She reached up with both hands and carefully reset her nose by guiding the shards of bone and cartilage back into their normal place. It took some massaging and a complete deactivation of the nerve endings in her face. There was still a lot of swelling but in a few hours it would heal straight. Then she reinforced fractured bones and broken ribs with steel rods. Her hip was trickier, but after carefully staring at it in X-ray she wired the ligaments and tendons back together with thin braided cables. She turned off the rest of her pain sensors so she didn’t have to deal with the distraction.

She found the Soul Sword where she’d left it and picked it up again. She wiped the blade clean on the blood soaked towel, and trudged up to the battlefield to find Morgan with the blade resting on her shoulder.

When she got outside she was enveloped in a violent sandstorm. Sand. It was primarily made up of quartz, a silicate. A Metalloid element in nature, which made it Haleigh’s plaything. She pushed out with her free hand, and the sand moved away from her in a wall that thickened as she continued to move forward. She built up a dune, uncovering her teammates and the fallen bodies of their foes. The wind still blew about fiercely but it helped disperse the dust.

She watched Zach pick himself up and hurry toward Ashley. Delilah had been shielding people as best she could with hard light. Haleigh looked around as she moved closer, counting survivors. Her hip didn’t quite articulate normally, but it was merely an inconvenience to her. She knew she probably looked like hell but she didn’t care. She was glad to see no fallen friends up here, but she was still looking for some. Then she heard a commotion above and glanced up to see Morgan and Isis facing off against Set. Beyond them was a bright red glow and what appeared to be fireworks coming out of a dimensional tear in the sky.

“MORGAN!”

She shouted in a hoarse voice with a harsh metallic tone to it. When her sister glanced down, Haleigh threw the Soul Sword up with mentally guided precision back to its rightful owner. She heard Cameron’s voice in her head, telling her he’d made it out alive. Her heart skipped a beat, but when she looked around she didn’t see him. Could it be possible? It seemed to good to be true, but she wanted to believe that when she extinguished her mother with the Soul Sword, that maybe Cameron had been freed of whatever horrible thing Diana had done with him. She didn’t let herself get attached to the idea. She’d believe it when he was right in front of her. There was no use falling for an illusion of hope.

“Delilah, you okay?”

 

[Isis]

Aerie - In The Sky

Set: "Once again you have failed your goddess, and at the hands of a MORTAL WOMAN no less. I will remind Isis of the SHAME you have brought to her when I am finished breaking this world down around me."

:: She hissed with contempt, but she persisted as the two became engrossed in an awe inspiring trading of blows, back and forth, each one more relentless than the next, and while the Avatar of Isis was stronger than most, she knew she could not keep up this kind of assault. She also knew that she had no choice but to do so. ::

:: Isis sidewinded around him with her power as the two continued their assault against each other mid air. ::

"YOU are the failure, SET. Do not let these SPARING moments of freedom convince you otherwise! I have BANISHED you before, but tonight?! I will utterly DESTROY YOU!"

:: Dominique got him on the lamb as she THRUST her sceptre forward, delivering fatal blast after fatal BLAST. ::

Set: "The WORLD will die, woman. At MY HANDS. At MY command! You sent me away but where you sent me, TAINTED me. Made me stronger. Made me able --"

<< POW! >>

"UGGGGGHHHHH!"

:: The wind was completely knocked out of her as her aqua blue eyes welled up with fear. He was stronger than she remembered, but so was she. She hadn't yet taken the full mantle of Isis the last time she faced him, but his strength....it gave her pause, and she couldn't help but feel the life force of her nephew leave this realm for the other. Haleigh would have to kill Nicolas. ::

"Goddess help me."

Set: "To TAKE whatever it is you have to SERVE and turn it BACK on you."

"Enough of your WORDS!"

:: Isis battered into him, shifting in and out of her sand form, whipping and whirling around him as she used the molecular control of her sand form to attempt to RIP his every last molecule to shreds, as they circled around the skies, engaged in a deadly dance with no true victor. ::

Set: "Do you know what becomes of sand when it is struck by lightning?"

"RESHEP YAKARADNI AL-BARG!"

:: She knew the incantation and she braced herself for the worst, attempting to pull her sand form from within and generate a field of pure golden healing light within herself like a pillar, but before she knew it, she was wrapped up in the arms of Spellbinder, somebody she had all but given up on just a few moments earlier. Spellbinder zoomed her away from the impact of the lightning and set her stead, their unique eyes meeting face to face. She felt Morgan's hands on her shoulders. ::

"Get him, Isis! We did it before and we'll do it again!"

:: For whatever reason, the words inspired her as she gripped her sceptre in her hands firmly, nodding calmy to Spellbinder, her icy voice not waivering as she spoke. ::

"We will...for Nicolas."

:: She CHARGED forward BLASTING Set in succession with the totality of her power, as he returned the favor, but durability was not on her side, every tear he gave her, she felt, despite her ability to heal. And the amount of damage she was taking was just not sustainable. She needed a hail mary, she needed a few moments to BREATHE to be able to pull off something, anything. ::

:: And then... ::

Spellbinder: "Hey SET! We have a SCORE to settle you SON OF A BITCH!"

:: Spellbinder blasted into him with INCREDIBLE strength and grit, using her power to encase him in winds as she called back to the sorceress. ::

Spellbinder: "Isis! It is time for us to send this man back to HELL! Blast him with all you got!"

:: A calm washed over her as she spoke, her voice stereophonic in the sky, igniting a spell and a prayer, her sceptre glowing with incredible light as she bridged the gap between them as she eyed the Soul Sword now manifesting in Morgan's hands. ::

:: Dominique's eyes began to glow a shimmering gold as she connected with the true nature of her power. ::

"Isis, beautiful in all thy names, I call thee with the breath of my body...."

:: She charged even closer, her body outlined in a gorgeous sparkling gold hue, as magick swirled from her mouth as she spoke. ::

"I call thee with the beat of my heart, I call thee with the pulse of my LIFE!"

:: Wild magick began to swirl around her, siphoning itself into her sceptre as she placed it in front of her, now but a few paces between Set and Morgan, who still was able to maintain her hold on the God himself, an impressive feat of strength. ::

"I call thee with the words of my mouth, with the thoughts of my mind! You are POWER."

<< BOOM! >>

:: She blasted Set, unsettling him from Morgan's grasp she moved even closer, grabbing him by the neck as her left hand held the sceptre strong. ::

"You are LIFE. CREATION. REBIRTH! Behold the foul deity before you, and show no mercy! For he is a THREAT to ALL we hold sacred!"

:: Her brilliant auqa eyes met his mysterious and evil, hallow red as she showed no mercy. ::

"In your name, I INVOKE thee - DESTROY HIM - ISIS!"

:: Dominique EXPLODED in her heavenly energy signature as she DROVE her sceptre straight through Set's CHEST with NO problem, with a strength that was as ancient as the power she held, as the mantle she OWNED. The sky exploded in chaotic energy, the sky becoming almost BLINDING to look at as she poured EVERY ounce of her power into him through her holy weapon, feeling his very life force being EATEN away under the power of the Goddess of Death and Rebirth! ::

"Ahhhh.....whhhhaaaa.......nooooo......"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"

:: Something was wrong. Set was dying - but so was SHE! The power she was channeling - was it too much?! She was the Avatar of Isis, the living embodiment of the Goddess on Earth, surely she was strong enough to widthstand this? But she fading....along with him, and nobody would be able to see it for long enough to stop it. Perhaps this was it. Perhaps her mantle had one purpose, and now that she had served it, now that her nephew...was dead? She no longer had purpose? No longer had meaning. She had always been a rather vain creature, but as she watched him decay along with her, she knew that there were reasons worth dying, and if she had to die to stop him, she would. ::

<< BOOOM! >>

:: The sky once again EXPLODED with bright white light, blinding everyone on the battlefield for several moments, and as the light faded, the Six and the Birds of Prey would notice a hole no longer in the sky, and the body of Dominique Devereaux free falling at great speed towards the ground, unconscious or worse. ::

 

[Recall]

The Island of Aerie - Battle!

Valkyrie: "YOU stay behind me while you get your head on straight."

Oracle: "Um, Recall? What the fudge is going on with you?"

She blinked several times, trying to focus herself, trying to hold on to her energy. She felt safe next to Ashley which allowed her to calm down and assess what was going on with her and from her prelimary findings, it appeared that her near death encounter with a demon had unlocked some kind of secondary mutation within her. This field around her - it felt like a part of her, and it acted very similarly to the way that Vivica accessed her regular ability. It was as if she could hone in on mutations, and...duplicate them. When Morgan had separated herself from Vivica and took to the sky, she no longer felt "connected" to Morgan and she found her ability to manifest stepping discs simply vanish as if it had never been a part of her. Thankfully, Vivica could engage in this type of deep thinking without sacrificing her focus on the field. Oracle would notice a text log appear fromVivica's hard drive appear on the screens in front of her.

>> I think I...I think I mutated, Oracle....

Valkyrie: "Some weird shit's definitely happening with her."

"What else is new, right? Lead the way, Valkyrie. I've got it together for now, Oracle. And this is the apocalypse. Feel free to say fuck. It might be your last chance."

Oracle: "I know this is hard to believe...but there's a massive sandstorm heading for you."

Vivica looked up into the sky as her eyes widened.

"Holy SHI--"

Morningstar: "Get behind me!"

She could BARELY see anything well enough, let alone fight the sting of pain as sand WHIPPED around them from all sides, but she was able to make her way over to Delilah who erected a laser shield to protect them from the onslaught, which was working quite well.

"Delilah. Ability to transduce sound into light..."

"No."

Vivica centered herself once again. Whatever was going on with her, it was too new to attempt to try anything funny. She needed to keep hold of herself, pray they got out of this and figure things out later. She fought herself against the "need" of this aura around her to synch to Delilah. She breathed in and out heavily.

"Wait where's Zach!? Where's Ashley!?"

From nowhere Haleigh appeared. The dust began to clear and she was able to thankfully make out Ashley and Zach helping each other over to the rest of the group. The winds still zipped past them like crazy as Haleigh inquired about Delilah's well being. Vivica's eyes stayed GLUED to the sky as before long, Dominique's voice rang throughout the battlefield, invoking a CRAZY amount of power as the sky began to illuminate with a BLINDING white light, forcing her to look away.

"In your name, I INVOKE thee - DESTROY HIM - ISIS!"

"Oh my god!"

It felt like the entire night sky EXPLODED in front of them as Vivica winced against the blinding light, unable to make out what happened. Her mind raced. Was this it? Had Isis destroyed Set? Or Vice versa. She held her eyes shut so tight and gritted her lips so hard until she felt...calm. Nothing. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and looked up. The skies were calm, the tear in the sky was gone, but using her enhanced senses, she made out the visage of Dominique Devereaux falling from the sky at great speed, right towards the ground.

"Dominique! She's falling! Somebody GRAB HER!"

 

[Prophet]

The Further - Conclusion

Neither of them had responded, but he couldn't blame them - a battle was raging in the mortal realm. Set had been unleashed. There were more pressing matters to attend to, and as he made his way over towards the giant tear in the sky and looked down, seeing them together was all the relief that he needed. He was exhausted and energized at the same time. He felt stronger than he ever had in his life, but he had not rested for what felt like years. Time moved differently where he was, and while seeing his friends and family let him know that it hadn't been too long, he had no way of knowing how much time had truly passed since he had left the mortal realm to fight Malice. And his work was not done.

He was a bit scared to pierce the veil between the hole in the sky and his actual reality. Cameron had pressed the limits of his powers for so long that he wasn't sure just what he was capable of. But watching Isis receive the beatdown she was receiving at the hands of Set allowed him to press further. She was charging at him, pushing him closer to the tear, close enough for Cameron to do what he needed to do.

"In your name, I INVOKE thee - DESTROY HIM - ISIS!"

It was now or never. She had a short window, and if he could give her the small boost she needed to destroy him, he would. Without thinking, and with Set close enough for him not to tempt fate, he lifted the athama high in the air and PLUNGED it into Set's back without hesitation, as a chaotic explosion of magick warped throughout the area, BLINDING everybody who dared to look up at them. Cameron turned the blade and dug it deeper as he too seemed to be blinded by Dominique's power.

But Cameron didn't need eyes to see, and when he cast his vision out, he realized that he had been betrayed by his "mother". This dagger wasn't going to just kill Set, it was going to kill Dominique as well. As the power brimmed throughout the sky, his mind recounted every encounter he had with Isis. She was one of a long list of women that Cameron had clung to when he didn't know what was going in his life. She was a cold, rude woman. But the love she had for Nicolas mirrored what he had for Alison, and it had been the thing that bonded them. They shared the same arrogance which led to them sharing the same bed for a few fleeting moments. She had been one of the women in his life that had showed him something about himself that he had previously ignored. Cameron and Dominique were very similar people, from very similar backgrounds, and their pillow talk, when she had nobody around to impress or intimidate, had meant the world to him at a time when he had not a lot of people to lean on. He understood why she clung to her reputation, because he had done the same thing for most of his life. The difference between them was that he figured out that his vulnerability was also his strength, and she never worked out how to be vulnerable. He didn't want her to die without having that chance, but he wasn't sure it was something he could garauntee her anymore. He had to let go. He felt the very fabric of his soul being torn apart against the power of Isis and the athame that he had plunged into Set's back. He had worked too hard to die forever now.

"Forgive me, Dominique..."

Using the very last bit of power he had left, he PULLED the athame from Set at the very second he felt the God dissipate from reality and found himself freefalling through the other side, using his power to guide himself towards the out he had installed many months ago at the hands of his sister. He had called to her, begging her to take the thing from him he thought would be his weakness in all of this - his love for Haleigh. Over the years, Alison and Cameron had taken to leaving each other messages across the astral plane at any given point. It had been a fail safe for both of them, something that would let them know, despite being time displaced, dead or whatever, that they loved each other and that there was a way out. Alison had taken his love for Haleigh, the purest part of his soul, and placed it at a point in the astral plane that he could always reach, if he needed it. And now, he needed it. As he fell through The Other Side, and barreled through to the Astral Plane, in a feat of power he could have never achieved before killing Malice, he found himself alive again, at least in spirit, and he fell further, searching for the beacon Alison had left him. And sure enough, before long, he found it. The moment his spirit collided with that energy, he found himself bonded with Haleigh. He could see the battlefield from her eyes, could sense her fear, and her anguish, and it was all he could not to comfort her. But that relationship, that energy, it had created the path back to his body that he so desperately needed, and so he passed through it, kissing her mind, and the soul she often thought didn't exist, as he fell into the body that laid in stasis on the basement levels of The Parthenon Hotel.

"Grrrrrrr....uggghhhhhhh...."

He hadn't been contained to a human vessel in months, and the process was very painful as his power lashed out around him, disrupting the medical devices in place to protect him, as the shield of his stasis tube shattered around him and he sat up out of pure adrenaline, pulling the various chords connected to him from his body with great fervor. He was alive. he was alive and back in his body.

"UGGGHHHH..."

His power waivered around him as all the lights in The Parthenon began to flicker and a dull ringing filled his ears as his eyes blinked into his surroundings. He could hear their thoughts - all of their thoughts, everyone around him and everyone in the entire state of New York. Red flickering surges crackled around his body as he punched his way out of the rest of his stasis tube, operating on full adrenaline. He needed to get to Aerie. Using his power, he stabilized his body, and gave himself access to walking and higher motor function, grabbing a robe from the room, and telekinetically moving himself through the area, until he reached a service elevator, pressing the button for his penthouse. He slinked to the floor of the elevator, heaving, wantng to vomit, his very soul fighting the mortal shell he found himself in. He had done it. He had killed Malice. He had defeated Set..and possibly killed Dominique in the process. None of which he truly cared about. All he wanted, was to see her. And her. He needed to get to Haleigh and Delilah. The doors of the elevator swung open as he began to crawl to the enchanted doorway in his penthouse that would lead to Aerie.

 

[Oracle]

Minerva's Mansion - Study

Oracle's fingers gestured rapidly, her eyes flitting over different parts of the projection in front of her, never straying from the task at hand. She pushed Rampage from her mind - there wasn't time to be sad, they just had to keep going, keep fighting. Orion and Valkyrie were combining powers to great effect, but then something odd started happening with Recall, drawing Zizi's attention.

>> I think I...I think I mutated, Oracle....

Valkyrie: "Some weird shit's definitely happening with her."

Zizi read the text on her screen, and took a deep breath. This was NOT the time for this. They couldn't stop to investigate what was happening.

"Uh...Valkyrie, keep an eye on Recall - get her to the mansion if you need to. But otherwise just push on and we'll figure it out afterward."

Recall: "I've got it together for now, Oracle. And this is the apocalypse. Feel free to say fuck. It might be your last chance."

Zizi's mouth dropped open slightly. Then closed.

"No, thank you. And, Valkyrie, if she's in danger, no matter what she says, you bring her to safety."

While she was talking her eyes were being drawn to the map on another part of her screen. Firebird and MorningStar had taken out a large amount of the demons, and the others were cleaning up the rest, but now there was a natural disaster coming for them, one that was much harder to fight.

"I know this is hard to believe...but there's a massive sandstorm heading for you."

MorningStar was trying to shield them.

"Recall, Valkyrie, Morningstar is North Northeast from your position. Orion, North Northwest."

Her eyes slid back to Haleigh's feed just in time to see something horrible. Though, Zizi thought, it would be much much worse for Black Widow. Poor, poor girl. She didn't say the exact words over the "comms", but the team would all understand her meaning.

"Malice has been defeated."

Black Widow emerged from the mansion, and with her power dissipated the sand that was obscuring everything. Now that Zizi got a good look at her through the eyes of the others, her eyes widened.

"Harbinger! Black Widow needs healing!"