Dimensional Descent

The abilities of the Fawkes were fearsome enough without also having such a change occur. If the Fawkes could become Gods so young, or if they could even just form Idols by speaking it into existence, just what kind of power would they grow into? This was unacceptable to many, and in the end, this was the ultimate result… the death and destruction of the family. Back then, the Four Great Families had gotten a whiff of what was going on, and they themselves had been targeted because their Heirloom Treasures were too powerful as well. Whoever received acknowledgment from these treasures could also instantly wield power that they had no business controlling. In order to take the heat off themselves, the Four Great Families struck a deal. They would retreat from the God Realm and live out in peace in the lower Realms so long as they were given enough God Realm Incomplete Worlds. In exchange, they would help deal a crippling blow to the Fawkes. Ultimately, the Fawkes were the far greater danger, and the Four Great Families were just appetizers, so they accepted. The reality was that no one wanted to get into an all-out war with the Fawkes because once they did, they would quickly find their own being turned into cannon fodder against them. The losses would easily become substantial. However, if they had an inside man for the job, then it was very likely that they would be able to deal a swift and decisive blow before the Fawkes could properly retaliate. In the end, that was exactly what had happened… but no one expected the boy from back then to still be alive… Even the Pluto had no idea that their repaid favor would go back to helping this boy in particular, or else maybe even they would be hesitant to repay it. But who would have known that the players of back then would be incompetent to the point of letting the one target they should have surely killed escape? Just how had this happened? BOOM! Everyone’s attention was rapidly ripped away to find Cynthia soaring through the skies. She was pounded into the ground with such ferocity that it felt like even this God Rune infused world would split in two. Bubbles of green popped all around Alienor, and she was truly no different from an enraged lioness. She dove down from above, grabbing at Cynthia’s throat. The latter tried to fight it off, but it was of no help. Cynthia slapped out a palm to block, but a whipped draconic green wind slapped it out of the way in return. She turned to the side to avoid Alienor’s palm, and the ground beneath her was raked by a claw. Even though Cynthia thought she had dodged it, bloody marks appeared across her cheek, leaving her feeling a stinging pain. Alienor ripped her hand back, a chunk of earth coming with it. For a moment, it even seemed as though the land was being ripped upward until the rock finally broke free and away. Cynthia kicked out at Alienor’s chest, colliding with it steadily, but Alienor didn’t even seem to notice. The strength completely dispersed by some mysterious power and expelled into the outward. A cone-shaped rip in space appeared behind Alienor’s torso, but her real body was completely unharmed. Finally, Alienor managed to grab Cynthia’s corpse. Staring at this incomparably beautiful countenance, Cynthia still somehow felt the greatest fear she had in her entire lifetime. It didn’t feel like a beautiful woman at all, but rather a roaring dragon. Alienor grabbed Cynthia’s arm and tore it off. Blood spilled and Cynthia let out a heart-rending screech. Her body shook and convulsed, only for Alienor to suddenly squeeze down on her throat. All the sounds that Cynthia had been making were crippled and became muffled. The skies were dyed in red as Alienor suddenly let go of Cynthia’s throat, erupting with three quick palms that resonated louder than even claps of thunder. Alienor unleashed every ounce of pent-up rage she had in her soul. Cynthia was supposed to be a great God Child, she had been nurtured and raised by the Four Great Families, living out her life in leisure while Leonel was outside fighting for his life every waking moment. All the while, she had been plotting and scheming, waiting to deal a death blow to this family that she hated so much. And yet, in the end, to a furious Alienor, she looked like nothing more than an inconsequential plaything. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Every hit came with a sob, and yet was so controlled that every ounce of the destruction was concentrated into Cynthia’s body. Again and again, she was beaten into the ground, her limbs were torn off, her blood painted the skies and dyed the ground. She was beaten senseless, and even when she decided that she wanted to die, she was entirely unable to. When an Empress spoke, the world listened. If an Empress didn’t want you to die just yet… What right did you have to? Cynthia could only find herself completely devastated. Panting on the ground, missing both legs and an arm, she looked toward the skies, defeated… however, even this final sight was robbed from her as two piercing green winds ripped through her eye sockets. There was a moment of silence before Cynthia unleashed a banshee-like shriek. It was filled with unwillingness and humiliation. She thought that the day she saw Alienor again, she would be able to retain the favor. But this time, she was defeated even faster than the last time. In fact, the battle would have ended in a single strike had Alienor not wanted to use her as a punching bag. “You cannot speak.”

A bubble formed around Cynthia’s mouth.

“You cannot breed. You cannot think. You cannot want for anything.”

Every word came with another bubble, and everything that made Cynthia human was hollowed out until she was left with nothing at all. Alienor trembled, looking toward her son.