It was sudden and intense. Like a bolt of lightning piercing through her heart, the phoenix doubled over with a startled scream as it raced through her entire body. For a moment in time, her inner flame was akin to a frozen ball of nothing, frigid and lifeless, Death’s fingers tracing down her spine. Yet, just as suddenly as it came, it was over. Mirannda stood shakily to her feet, a sense of dread seeping deep into her core as she reassured herself that Mother Flame’s power burned bright within her.

Without a doubt, something terrible had happened, but she wasn’t sure exactly what it was. Her connection to Mirthadra Din’an, Honored Death, the Goddess Dalanesca, was still young. Could it have been that Dalenesca was gone? An intense energy flowed through her, feeling painful yet warm as life forced itself back into their connection. Whatever had happened to the goddess was reversed. Not another moment was spared as the woman burst into a flurry of activity.

---

Mirannda had followed the tug of her heart. She was wearing a set of armor beneath her cloak. According to the elves of which she got the armor from, it would never be permanently battle-scarred, nor would it rust, or show signs of wear and tear. For the armor she had obtained from them repaired itself from the materials in the environment around her. Of course, it came with a warning that many had perished in the armor, due to lack of material for the repairs.

Upon her body was a wide variety of arsenal, from her sword at her hip, to daggers, and even her ectoplasm throwing stars. Before today, she had not had a chance to test them, or required their use. However, with the unknown threat before them, Mirannda wanted to be prepared for anything. ”Mira, should we be in this frigid weather?” Calcifer whined.

They were in Itjivut, an island of ice, and snow. A frozen tundra. Her boots crunched the once pristine snow, having been walked through before by several sets of feet. The phoenix was marching inland, toward the blizzard with the intention of going through it, using the droning sound of buzzing as her guide. ”I didn’t ask you to come, Calcifer. But since you’re here, you can help keep me warm. Things are going to get ugly, I assume. And from what I’ve gathered, the outcome will forever change our future.” The fire sprite shut his mouth and continued following, almost as a fiery halo above her hooded head.

Her goddess was out here… Somewhere… But, would she recognize what she found? Something had been nagging at the back of her mind, so minor, yet obviously different. Was it Dalanesca? Did she not get brought back whole?

The connection that had been forged between Dalanesca and Mirannda when the goddess had declared the phoenix as her Champion was still new, but it was strong enough that the goddess had a sense of when she was near her. For a brief time after Angela had resurrected her after she had been so easily taken down by one of the invading insect foes, she found herself wondering if her death would have severed their connection.

That question was easily answered for the Reaper, however, when she found herself on the island of Itjivut, planning a defensive against the invaders along with the Hifae. A strong sense of familiarity washed over her, and it was clear that the familiarity was resonating from Mirannda, her Champion. Even in these grim times, it brought a smile to her lips. The two had met in… interesting circumstances, as it were, but there was a connection there that exceeded the mere bond of Champion.

It didn’t take Dalanesca long to pinpoint Mirannda’s location, and within minutes she had transported herself to that location and now stood a few paces behind her champion. She grinned to herself, before silently approaching from behind, until she was only inches behind her. ”Looking for your patron goddess, phoenix?” she asked, a hint of joy mixed with sarcasm in her voice. She fell back and shifted her weight to one foot, hands on her hips, as she waited for Mirannda to turn around and acknowledge her.

She found herself wondering how much Mirannda knew of what happened. ”Hope you didn’t think you were going to get rid of me that easily,” she quipped. Of course, the phoenix had become her champion of her own volition - she had not been forced into it by any means. ”Tell me, just how much do you know of what happened to me? I can fill in the blanks,” she offered with a smile.

Participation was not something well-known or liked by the vampire. He cared mostly for his own needs and wants. Staying out of the efforts made by those with righteous heart did well for the young man. In the particular case that was before him there was no other option. If he did not aide then there could be lose for his life in particular that would not be stood for. All had to take part if they treasured their life force to stay in effect. If all were dead there would be none left for him to feed upon. Ethan could not let that happen. A selfish creature such as himself would do what was necessary to stay alive upon the earth’s surface.

Cloak blew in the frigid air as he stood atop the snow. No armor was worn below the cloak to protect his body from harm. He looked ill-prepared for a battle, though looks were deceiving if any knew him properly. Thigh high boots stepped through the snow to make his way across the isle of ice in hopes of finding a semblance of shelter. Ethan felt little cold due to his nature, but the weather was still annoying to fight against. There was no extra time that he wished to spend on unneeded task. Ethan longed for a warm bed and comfort after a delicious meal. Instead, he was helping those he did not care about.

Crimson orbs rolled at nothing in particular except himself for going out of his way. Not only going out of his way, but finding himself in a location that was as desolate as Itjivut. There was no explaining why he had gone to the ice isle except for a gut instinct that had pulled him all the way there. That feeling was rewarded as he came around a bend to see two women standing close to one another. One had a fire like halo hoovering above her cloaked face. It was an odd feeling, though Ethan felt that the figure looked familiar in a way.

He dared to move closer, and it did not take him long to realize the reason for familiarity. ”Why if it is not my delicious fire bird,” he called out while closing the distance. A genuine smile was upon his lips as he made it through the snow to find himself not too far from the women. ”Greetings and it is good to see you Mira. And sincere greetings to you as well, my Lady,” he said with a bow to Dalanesca. There was no way for him to know who the other woman was, but he did not see reason as why to show poor manners. ”Forgive intrusion, but there seems to be a horrid buzzing from reported insects…and I wish to hear them stopped. Could you lovely lovely ladies point direction? Or if not, if it be acceptable to share company?”

With the crunching of the snow beneath boots, it was almost impossible to listen to Calcifer’s flame, the warning it whispered as he noted the being appearing behind them. Her own senses were tingling, yet only her eyes shifted as if trying to see behind her. Mirannda gripped her weapon in preparation until that familiar voice washed over her. She whirled around, an expression of relief and mild shock clear as day, which melted into a sly smile. ”Dalanesca, I thought I might find you here.”

The phoenix shook her head with a chuckle. ”I’d never dream of getting rid of you, Mithadra. Your company would be sorely missed.” And she meant it. Yet, she frowned as she recalled the experience. ”I felt true death, cold and bitter. Whatever magic binds us, it broke in that moment. And then a painful warmth as our bond was rekindled. Did you die? Did Angela bring you back?” While she was matter-of-fact, Mirannda was barely able to hide the fear of the idea that Lady Death could, in fact, perish. Then, of course, there was the question of something being different, something she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

”Dalanesca, are you alright?” This time, she could hear the crackled warning from her sprite overhead. Pale blue eyes flicked over their surroundings until she saw a cloaked man approaching them. ”This should prove interesting…” she mused to herself as Ethan approached, someone whose nature she loathed, yet she didn’t mind him as much. Maybe it had to do with the night spent in his company that did not involve her death by his fangs. There was that smile that did not appear predatory whatsoever, but seemed more like she was an unexpected surprise in this white landscape.

A light heat rose to her cheeks. ”Likewise, my favorite leech.” This was the last place she would ever expect the vampire to venture to. With the present circumstances though, she could understand why he’d come, yet he was unarmored. Appearances could be deceptive, however. Such as a slutty outfit hiding the reaper of the damned. ”Mithadra Din’an, forgive me if I assume incorrectly. However, allow me to introduce Ethan Blackbird. Ethan, this is Dalanesca.” She suddenly felt giddy as she eyed the vampire, that seductive smile almost permanently plastered to her face.

Unwilling to be left out, Calcifer flared temporarily as he positioned himself in the middle of their small group. "Ah yes, and this is Calcifer. A flame sprite." "And the most important thing out here in this frozen wasteland, I can assure you! Can we get this over with soon and get back someplace warm?"

Dalanesca stared at Mirannda rather pointedly as her champion asked her a few questions about what had taken place. ”I am glad that you would not want to rid yourself of me, my dear,” she said, and quickly embraced the phoenix. ”To be honest, I am not surprised you felt what you did. I did, in fact, die.” The statement was made so matter of factly, that it had to be true. There was no way that this statement had been falsified in any way. ”I cannot even begin to describe to you exactly what dying was like, though I imagine you have experienced it more than once,” she added, giving the phoenix a knowing smirk.

”Angela did bring me back, bless her,” she said, looking towards the frigid sky for a moment in silent gratitude to her sister goddess. She brought her gaze back to Mirannda. ”I don’t know what it is like for you when you have passed before, but it is… well, there is nothing,” she said, shrugging slightly. ”I am grateful that our bond was rekindled,” she said, and it was apparent on her face that she was truthful in such a comment. ”I suppose I am okay, in a sense,” she said, with a sigh, though her face looked to contradict that statement - however, it was clear that the goddess was not going to go into much further detail.

She did, however, begin to say something else to the phoenix, but her attention was drawn to the newcomer who approached them. It seemed that her champion was familiar with him, and the scent of something not quite human wafted to her. She made no defensive move, only turning her attention and offering a friendly smile as Mirannda introduced him. ”Why, the pleasure is all mine,” she said, looking him up and down a bit. ”I am known to some as the Reaper, and others the Siren, but you may call me Dalanesca. I am not generally one for formalities unless a point is to be made,” she added, tearing her eyes away from him finally and turning them back to Mirannda as the two exchanged pleasantries for a bit.

When Ethan mentioned the buzzing of the insects and made his comment on keeping their company, Dalanesca’s eyes shifted from Mirannda to Ethan and back to Mirannda. ”Mirannda here knows how much I enjoy keeping the company of men,” she said with a smirk as her eyes glinted to Mirannda. ”But all in all, please join us. I am headed in the direction of the invaders, and I would assume that Mirannda here is accompanying me. However, I must warn you - these foe are rather… difficult to deal with. Their weaponry is deadly, even to the gods,” she said, trailing off slightly - if Ethan had not overheard their earlier conversation, this point alone would offer insight that perhaps she had already come face to face with them once before.

”Perhaps we could scout ahead, and see what we can find?”