Guards or rather mercenaries dragged her towards her tiny cell. Her clothes had been stolen and replaced with a slave tunic. Her feet were bound in shackles and her hands were tied behind her. A metal collar surrounded her neck and her mouth had been gagged with a piece of cloth. The tunnels beneath the forest were filled with guards and other slaves. They passed medium-sized prisons stuffed with people to the point they had to sit on each other. When the cell doors opened, she was tossed in like a piece of luggage. Dala fiercely struggled against her chains but to no avail. The most she could do was roll around and even that took all her strength. She wasn't even able to speak. The cell walls were a dark grey and the door itself was made entirely of metal. There were no windows or doors to see the outside world. Just a small cell with nothing on the walls nor anything on the floor.

Later that day the prison door opened to reveal Marcov. The second she saw him she glared with all her might since she couldn't move. He smiled with some sort of sickening pride and moved closer to her. He pressed his hands against her head. She tried to shout or yell at him but the gag prevented her from doing so. If only she had her dagger, she would stab him more times than she ever did as a kid. Then she realized what he was doing. She could feel him going through her mind, learning every single detail of her life and exploring every dark corner. He found what he wanted. Those thoughts. The thoughts she pretended didn't exist and shoved down into the depths of her mind.

I am worthless

I'm just a slave

I'll never be anything

Look at all my failures

Why can't I get this right?!

What is wrong with me?!

They pounded through her mind as she felt them become a Warhammer against her brain. Beating her over and over again. Her breath quickened as she tried to push them back down but Marcov's influence only made them stronger. How much time had passed? Hours? Minutes? She couldn't tell anymore. The world became blurry as he kept rooting around, looking for aspects to turn into a weapon against her. Then he found another point. All those times she had been abandoned by a potential adoption, a friend, a teacher, or even her parents who went into hiding. None of them were with her anymore. Every single one of them had left her behind.

It's because you deserve it.

No! She still had the teachers who helped her and there were the Terrowins. They had stayed with her!

"And you got them killed." Marcov said out loud, "I would have never targeted them if it wasn't for you. Next time I'll finish the job properly."

They will die because of me.

Nobody will be there.

I am alone.

The loneliness from years of abandonment flooded her mind as she desperately clung to any piece of hope to keep her head above it. Marcov slowly dismantled every single positive thing she could find and slowly drove her towards a sense of despair. Tears formed in her eyes as she began to breathe faster and faster. The world felt like it was crumbling around her and there was nothing she could do. They dragged her out of the cell and towards a different room. The room was an underground cave with a cliff looking over the edge. Underneath the cliff was a massive underground lake. Her shackles were heavy and they would surely drag her down. To jump would mean death.

"Jump. And if you don't jump today I will bring you tomorrow." Marcov promised, "This is your only salvation."

She cast her tired eyes at the lake but made no move towards it. Surprisingly, Marcov did not force her to go any further. Instead, he just let her stand for a while then had her dragged back to her cell. They gave her some water but neglected the food. The room was dark and had little to distract herself. Marcov left her with her own thoughts, knowing they would do the rest of the work in her torment. Every day it was the same thing. He would enter her cell and use her own thoughts and failures as a force against her. Time passed and she knew little about how many days it was. Nobody spoke to her. She had little interaction with any person besides Marcov. She was prevented from moving or speaking. The only thing she could do was think. And thinking had suddenly become dangerous. Every thought was a knife against her heart and soul.

She had been there for a week but it was impossible for her to tell. Every day was a series of depressing thoughts that executed time awareness. On the eighth day, he brought her to the lake again. Dala was tired. Tired of herself. Tired of the cell. She just wanted to be free. Desperation clawed at her as she looked down at the lake. The cool waters and soft colors were almost heavenly. Without even understanding what she was doing, she approached the edge of the cliff. Then… she fell.

Marcov sat on his throne in the underground manor his ancestors had made long long ago. There was a smile on his face, a smile that had been gone for too long. Today he had finally accomplished his greatest mission. Death was right on his doorstep and he knew that they would be there before he had a chance to go further in life. But before they arrived, he had done it. Every person he had ever gone after always broke in his hands. With enough time and effort, any person could be broken and bent to his magnificent will. There was no mortal he couldn't conquer. As for the immortals, it would always be a losing game against them. They forced him to cut his own dick off and rush here to make sure his precious slave wouldn't last long. She had fallen. Fallen into the darkness and the waters. By now she would be dead.

A smile formed on his lips. Even if he died now, he would feel the satisfaction in his heart for eternity. A slave brought him the vials of blood he had collected from every single person he had dominated over. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten a vial of Simone's blood. It would have been a worthy trophy. But his most valuable treasure of all was the vial of blood that had been labeled -Pillock-. Dala's original name. She had always been the one who had gotten away. All the other slaves had been broken down and conquered except for her. She had been escaping his grasp for years and he had finally done it! He caught that little wretch and made her pay for going against her master.

Now all else would follow. The death was incoming and he would face it with pride. After his death, all the slaves would be killed by the guards and mercenaries as per his request. Everyone would die. A perfect massacre to celebrate his own demise. He waited for the disgusting creatures to show their filthy little faces.

When Angela gave Xeik the go ahead, he opened the gate for the small war party they had formed. It was shocking just how quickly the group was gathered, and just like the many times that they had all gathered for similar purposes, rushed through the gate and prepared for the worst.

It was unlike any containment system any of them had ever seen. Cries of fear and agony echoed through the dark halls of the prison. Even with the mental map that Xeik had on hand, he still figured it would take them far too much time to search as a group.

“All right… Rhenakos, Osiria…head to the eastern part of the facility. Lewis, Simone, take the we-”

Lewis pushed past Xeik, and darted off. “Marcov is mine,” his voice rang back. The sounds of a few bodies hitting the floor followed him.

“Ok…Simone, you and Mia then.” The Divine Mender looked to his wife, who nodded with glee. She would be more than happy to help protect Simone. The two bounded off in their direction.

Xeik sighed. “Guess that leaves North for me.” The Divine Mender started to walk. It wasn’t long before he ran into the first few obstacles. Mercenaries. They were already on guard, two of them rushing Xeik at the same time. Wordlessly, Xeik slipped between their flurry of blows, and disarmed them with a swift set of strikes. Both collapsed, seemingly paralyzed from the blows.

“Sorry,” he said as he knelt down. “I know it’s a bit of a bother, but would you happen to know where Dala’s cell is?”

“Go die in a fire,” one of them spat.

“Shame…” Xeik slammed his fist into his spine, and a sickening crack radiated throughout the halls. “I doubt you’ll ever walk again…” He glanced to the second mercenary, who was shaking in fear. “What about you?”

“I-I don’t know, please don’t hurt me!”

The Divine Mender frowned. “Oh what a shame. I believe you…but you see…” He glanced at the cells lining the halls. “These poor souls that you have captive…” A sudden fury ran across Xeik’s face, if only for a moment. “I can’t forgive it…”

Simone nodded and kissed her husband, “Don’t you go getting caught again. Only I’m allowed to capture you.” She teased him but it was laced in concern.

“Yeah. Yeah. Be safe,” Lewis kissed her forehead before leaving. Mia gave Simone a look and nodded.

“Let’s go.” Simone started to run with Mia. Once they started to run into guards Mia hit the ground so hard it splintered at her steps. The rocks shot up and she connected with the guards and started to throw them.

Fire exploded near the guards into a black blaze as it consumed all she thought were her enemies. Mia broke the cells and pointed to the exited. It took them minutes to get to the cell pointed in the map layout. “It’s empty.” Simone hit the bars.

You might be able to trace her using the life-over-life energy from the babies.

The words came to her and she sat upon a barrel. Mia was crossing her arms and tapping her foot until Simone gave her a look. There was a huff as an apology.

Once Simone connected to the innermost of the resonance she found Dala’s life force. “Let’s go, Mia!” They rushed through the cells once more taking down whoever. Mia was ripping cells off the walls and using the doors to beat people with the metal.

It was a lake they found. Simone’s eyes were big as she looked at the bottom. This was some kind of sick joke. She squinted her eyes. She looked at Mia as she backed up. The skin was pricked up on her. She was having distress from the memories but she closed her eyes.

When she opened them she was fearless as she dove into the water. She couldn't swim very well so she was sinking like a rock.

Angela had tipped her off about Dala. Normally the reclusive deity didn't bother with interaction from other Conclave members unless it was important, and this time it was. She found the place, as hidden as it was. As deity she found ways to find things that people tried to hide. The storm of emotions that ran through her shifted and changed as she made her way to Koschei: rage, fury, resentment, and then stillness. She didn't know who Marcov was, but he was going to regret making her know. "Punishment is only effective if the subject feels pain. In this case, taking the moral high ground will be useless." Curses were only worthwhile if the target learned to regret. But for someone who had no morals, no shame, or an excess of pride–doing so would be difficult. The key was to hit them where it hurt, and she couldn't grasp the inner workings of the psyche of someone so inhuman. He was a monster in human skin. Negotiations were off the table.

As she entered the underground complex, she slipped into a guard's shadow and followed him until he went into a blind corner. There were muffled sounds of a struggle, then silence. Altering her appearance with a disguise, she put away a snowglobe into her bag as she assumed the man's identity to gain access to the cells. Observing Niran had given her some useful data on how to deal with a textbook narcissist. First, she needed to throw a wrench into his plans. Instead of going after him, she'd start with the people he had trapped here. Stepping inside the block of prisoner cells, there was the sound of clicking as all doors and shackles were unlocked at once. Using telepathy, she began planting suggestions into the prisoners' minds. One of the real guards noticed her and walked over thinking it was one of his cohorts. Before he could finish his sentence, she dropped the disguise and knocked him out.

Unleashing a violent gale, she blew all the cell doors open with her arms stretched wide. As more guards and mercenaries began to rush onto the scene, a smile crept over her face as she said: "Open Sesame." It was time to invoke Murphy's Law to the fullest. 

Slaves looked up with weary eyes, even the children seemed like they were so much older. When the gates opened and the sounds of fighting could be heard at first they shied away, thinking it was one of Marcov's tricks to test their brokeness. Nobody stepped outside for minutes. Until one person slowly decided to try it. Then another. And another. Once they realized this was real and not some cruel test, they began flooding out of the cells. Running as fast as they could. But some chose to stay inside, scared of a world outside of the cell. A world some of them had never seen with their own eyes.

Meanwhile, Marcov frowned as he heard the news about the slaves escaping. They were already here and undoing all of his beautiful work. Those swine were made to die! Hatred and disgust for everything in the room ran through his mind. He still held onto the vial of blood, his most prized possesion. Whatever. Even if they got their revenge, they could never save what he had already taken from them. That slave girl was dead. He had broken and destroyed her. That was an accomplishment they could never take from him. He grabbed onto one of his slave's chains. A nineteen-year-old woman with red hair and chains around her neck. He held onto the chains tightly, as if holding it made him feel better. That's right. This is how it was meant to be. Him dying with a slave at his command. People were made to be destroyed. They were his property.
___________________________________________________________________________

"Are you scared my dear?" A woman called out to her.

Dala's eyes opened but instead of the lake, she saw only light surrounding her. It was a strange place. A woman with blonde hair stood in front of her with an easy smile. The woman looked similar to Dala, but with blue eyes instead of brown.

"Asher?" Dala guessed.

"Yes." Asher said, "My dear. Whatever you decide is your own choice. You've gone through so much. If you want to end this here then it can end. I won't force you to go back."

The feeling of warmth surrounded Dala as she reached out for the woman who was supposed to be her mother all those years ago. Asher smiled and cupped her face in her hands. Dala thought for a small moment. Those feelings she felt. Those belonged to her. They were forced to the surface but at the end of the day, they were still hers. She couldn't bury them anymore. They were a part of her as much as anything else. Her failures, her successes, they were all a part of her. Denying them in the first place was how she got here.

Death… it was scary. Yet Asher was so warm. If she were to leave now, what warmth would be waiting for her? Then she thought of the people she had met. Even when they left her, they had made her life so much better. What would it be like if she were to never meet people like them? What about her plans for the future? What about that kingdom she was supposed to build? What about her friends? Simone, Lewis, Xeix, Fiori, Mira and so many others. They would miss her so much. And she would miss them just as much. Death was an option. But not for today.

The young woman suddenly felt calm in her mind, body, and soul.  Anger, sadness, anxiety, happiness, joy, nostalgia. Everything was still there but a sense of serenity had come from all of it. Her eyes opened and she suddenly realized she was at the bottom of the lake. Her body was a bright burning beacon of light and her eyes were wide open. The luminance of her body was like the blinding stars or the sun. A brightness made not of fire but of pure burning light.

She began to swim upwards, the chains from before turning into nothing but ash. As she rose to the surface, she found another figure. Simone. She picked up Simone from the water and began to levitate towards the top of the cliff, out of the water, and onto the ground. The buildup of her magic after nine years was finally being freed. Excess light magic soared into the air and fluttered around as Dala placed Simone back on her feet.

Lewis had made the mistake of asking for help when it came to Marcov. A mistake that had culminated in his own death, alongside Simone. THat had been rectified due to the completion of their resonance and his rebirth as a Night Phoenix, but that did not remove the stain upon what counted for his twisted pride.

He would not repeat the same mistake.

This time, I’ll just do it myself.

The moment the ex-assassin left the group, he dropped two bodies. There wasn’t time to let them react. He raced through the darkness, weaving between those who were loyal to Marcov and ending them with ease.

It was as if he were back in his favorite place. Death surrounded him. Blood spilt by his blade. The exhilarating rush of bringing someone to their end. He relished in it. But there was only one thing that would bring him to the climax of satisfaction.

Marcov.

Perhaps it was this state of mind that led the revitalized assassin to his mark. Or, perhaps it was some sick and twisted display of fate. Lewis could barely give a damn. He slammed the door open, and spotted him on his throne.

Marvoc had a twisted smile on his face and a slave in hand. Lewis could only sneer at what he assumed was cowardice, hiding behind a body. For once, Lewis was channeling one of the few emotions he could show on command. Rage. Anger. Hatred.

“You won’t be smiling for long. You think I care if that woman dies?” Lewis ask. It was unlike an assassin to show himself so readily to his mark, but Marcov had to have known that he was beat. But that wasn’t enough for Lewis. Black and blue wings erupted from Lewis’ back, the wings that were known as an omen of death.

“I’ve come for your life, Marcov…” Lewis smirked. “But…it would not be fitting coming from me.” He was about to pounce, but he felt a panic from the resonance, and he faltered.

It was impossible to tell if Marcov had timed this all. Dark tendrils erupted from the ground and started to wrap around Lewis.

“What the fuck have you done,” Lewis uttered, absolute fury in his eyes. Black flames erupted around him, destroying the tendrils. “What did you do…” He was instantly on Marcov, pinning the obscene man to his throne by the neck. Despite his initial disdain for the slave woman, he didn’t lay a finger on her. Perhaps Lewis wasn’t quite as heartless as he seemed.

Simone!? He traced her energy, and with a gate, stepped through into the underground lake, Marcov in hand and still alive.

For now.

He arrived in the darkness to a panicked Mia who was pointing at the lake. Lewis was about to forgo his initial plan and kill Marcov right then and there to dive in after his wife, when suddenly the lake exploded with light.

The moment he saw Simone carried back to the surface, he shoved Marcov at Mia, and ran to his wife.

“You crazy woman…what the hell!?” He practically tackled her, and wrapped his arms and wings around her. “What stupid things you do…” Though, he understood. And that glowing being…

“Dala…?”

She had debating asking Mia to dive in after Dala. It wasn’t the same thing though. Dala was her best friend. Dala had sacrificed for her, not that she knew it. She had sacrificed for Dala as well. She had traded parts of her for Dala’s long life.

She lost consciousness in the water and knew that she had to have thrown Lewis off. Sorry, Love. She tried to swim and not to panic but her fears overtook her and soon she was panicking. She really had tried not to as she tried to remember what Lewis taught her.

flashback

“Okay, Simone… You need to kick your feet.” Lewis was holding her up by her stomach in the pool.

Simone was hyperventilating, “Like this?” She was moving her legs weakly but they were shaking.

“Yeah, you just need a bit more.” Lewis frowned a bit as he attempted to calm her down. “Soon you’ll be moving your arms to. We’ll do this every day until you can.” And they did it every day but she never really progressed.

It was going to take a long time… But she still tried with him.

End

Simone started to cough up water as Lewis held her. “DALA!” She shot herself up as she panted. “Lewis! Where is Dala she was at the bottom of the lake! I can’t let Dala be like me! I can’t have her ruined like I was!” She was shaking her husband as she panicked and pulled at her hair. This was something only Lewis had ever seen Simone like. The trauma that the water had done for her.

The prisoner cells were in chaos. With no chains or doors to hold them back, those who could run were able to flee. As the guards and hired mercenaries Marcov had on his payroll tried to keep them from achieving freedom, Shiloh would have none of that. A blur darted around as the deity paralyzed or incapacitated the armed thugs in various ways, disappearing out of sight within a few seconds. Guards missed what should have been clear hits, they tripped over themselves, and they sometimes were dragged into their own shadows. Gestalt and her powers as a deity made resistance futile. But she wasn't done here. The prisoners who still remained needed something more than an open door. As more reinforcements were coming, Shiloh thought of her friends and family before mustering her best smile. As a strange arm-mounted projectile launcher materialized into her hands, it seemed too adorable for a weapon. With a large fluffy tail hanging from the back, Shiloh clicked her tongue as her ferrets began to climb her and load themselves inside the cannon.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls–today we have a special show in store just for you! Now, watch closely! Everyone who keeps their eyes on the ferrets will get their wish granted!" With a facade of cheer, she fired Niall at the face of an armored man with an eye patch, causing him to shriek as the ferret captain attacked. From the cannon, the recording of a ferret's voice played loud and clear. 'Yippie Ki Yay–Cowabunga!!!' Once this was all over, their years of imprisonment would just be a bad dream.

After ruining the guards, Shiloh made her way in deeper following the large life signatures gathering in one single place. Putting on a disguise, she quietly entered without fanfare as she saw who else was present. Shiloh wasn't here to beat the man senseless–there were plenty of others ahead of her who could do that. Instead, she was here to give the man a gift…one he would never forget. Death was too cheap for a man like Marcov. If he was going to suffer, she was going to make sure she made the most out of it. Patiently an easily unnoticeable figure waited by the side for the others to finish what they came here for. Slowly she pulled out a strange horn-like instrument, preparing for the right moment.

The glowing figure watched Simone for a moment as she coughed up water. Then Lewis looked to her, asking if she was Dala. Then Simone suddenly shot up and began panicking. Dala quickly stood before them both and quickly reached out, holding them both in an embrace. Her touch would be like a burning star but for them, it would be nothing in comparison to the heat they were used to. Simone and Lewis. Two of her best friends. They both had done so much for her and meant so much to her. Simone had sacrificed herself to save her while Lewis went through everything to get revenge on Marcov in the first place. The little drops of water that had been on Simone quickly evaporated in Dala's light.

"I am here." She said to the both of them in an echoed voice.

Nine years of pent-up magic was still overflowing and almost blinding. She needed to use it soon, else get burned up herself. Dala freed both Simone and Lewis from her embrace and stood on her feet. Walking towards Marcov who was being held by Mia. Dala smiled but didn't do anything other than saying this.

"I am Dala. And you are nothing."

Those words would sting more than anything else. A man who was so desperate to prove he was above others. A person who saw everything else as beneath him hated the idea that somebody he owned was better, powerful, or unbroken. She looked back at Simone, Lewis, and everyone else and gestured towards Marcov. She would let them have fun first before she finished him. Dala was still shining brightly but she was certainly not against getting her revenge. It was a part of her. As was anything else.
________________________

Marcov despised Lewis and everything he was. He felt a singe of terror as the man approached him and his smile was ripped from his face. The slave proved to be useless in his defense. He had been dragged to that cliff and thrown into some girl, who was able to keep track of him. He tried to think of some way to escape. Perhaps he could prove fate wrong and get out of there. But then that glowing figure was there. At first Marcov couldn't fathom what that thing was doing there. Was this Angela's trick? But instead, he realized with horror it was Dala.

"NO! I broke you! You're supposed to be dead!" He screamed with fury.

The words of him being nothing were all just a trick. Angela's trick? Or one of the other gods? Maybe it was Lewis or Simone? There was no way that useless little slave was this.

"You are all disgusting! Disgusting filth that needs to die! Every single one of you!" Marcov shouted in desperation.