The moment was broken as a flurry of crossbow bolts hurtled through them from behind. Pain shot through Celeste as one sliced across her arm, a streak of blood rushing through the air. The pain was sharp, but she had no time to care for herself as the grunting sounds of Vallerian made her eyes grow wide. At least a half dozen bolts spread all across his torso, blood flowing out his lips as he began to sway. A glance to Gardinal saw that most had glanced off his armour, though one jutted from a small gap in his armour at his throat.

“NO!” Celeste screamed, throwing herself at them. Her hands met flesh, and the Mother’s light rushed out of her, almost hungrily in Gardinal’s case. She breathed a tired sigh of relief as the bolts quickly pushed free from their flesh. Her legs grew wobbly as they healed, but pressing against both of them found her sturdy ground.

“Surround the Prophetess.” Gardinal commanded as his throat patched up, a cough forcing coagulated blood from his lips. “We must get out of here. Now.”

A glance back at the entryway proved it an unfruitful pursuit, a dozen cultists funneling in from where they had just been. The robed figures dropped their crossbows and leveled long spears at the group. Kriss, Vallerian, and Gardinal quickly circled Celeste.

“If you see an opportunity to get out of here Prophetess.” Gardinal whispered. “You take it.”

“Not without you.” She responded.

“Any…” Gardinal’s protest was interrupted by men charging, and another, albeit smaller, wave of fire flying at them from the darkness. Celeste darted her eyes around in a rapid panic, trying to make sense of the awful destruction around her.

She watched it all unfold around her, Gardinal pushing forward to meet the fire before it could grow larger. Kriss smacking away a man’s spear with his own, then spinning it into the side of that same man’s head to knock him out. More and more they came, a tide of black robed figures pressing down on them, and the whole time that dark presence pressed down on her. The Chaos returning in force to smother her.

“No… Please no…” She begged; fear dripping form every word. Her heart raced as her friends desperately held off the assault. Something, she had to do something. Anything. More figures poured in. Dozens at least, though hard to tell in the dim light. Kriss kept batting away with torch and spear, but for everyone he pushed away, for every two he knocked down, three more rushed in. Gardinal stood his ground as well, bolt, fire, and spear clashing against his shield. Tears fell from her face; it wasn’t supposed to go this way. She was supposed to be able to talk to the summoner, to show him the error of his way. Not… not this.

Celeste turned to Vallerian, and saw him pulling an arrow back, ready to shoot. A man rushed him, and Celeste watched in horror as Vallerian took aim towards his head.

“NO!” Celeste shouted, reaching out instinctively with the light within. Rope thick tendrils of light shot forth from her outstretched hand, wrapping up Vallerian’s arm and pulling it back. The arrow flew as Vallerian gasped, but the shot went wide, piercing another man through the leg.

Celeste stared in awe at what she had just done, the light dissipating away as Vallerian stared back at her wide eyed.

“What are you doing!” He screamed at her, spinning and grasping the charging man’s spear before he could thrust. The man tried to pull away, but Vallerian pulled harder, causing the man to tumble forward, head falling into Vallerian’s prepared knee. Celeste winced at the violence but felt some pleasure in her success. It had worked, it had finally worked. She had stopped Vallerian from killing a man. “Celeste!” Vallerian shouted. “What are you thinking? You can’t just…”

Vallerian was cut off as one of the shadowed men rushed past him, pushing the count out of the way, and thrusting a spear straight through Celeste’s side.

Pain. It coursed through Celeste like fire rushing over a dry summer forest. Celeste fell to her knees and gasped in pain. Looking up at the man above her, she winced as he sneered down at her.

Gardinal roared. A deep, guttural, beastly sound echoing through the cistern.

The warrior priest swung his hammer, and Celeste felt the moment slow to a trickle as the thick steel head crushed the man’s skull. Celeste’s heart beat stopped as she watched bone and flesh crumple beneath the blow, blood exploding from his skull as bits of brain were squeezed out.

“N…no… no…” Celeste stammered, trying to make sense of it. Staring at the man who had stabbed her, at the soul within him. She saw him collapse to his knees, blank stare aimed at her. Then she saw it, that flickering again. Like a candle, desperately fighting to stay alive. “No… please no…” She begged, watching that flickering light. Begging for it to stay. It grew dimmer, slowly fading.

Celeste screeched in abject horror. No. No. NO. He couldn’t be dead. Not yet. She could save him. Gardinal couldn’t kill someone like that. The light dimmed further. Gardinal wasn’t in a war anymore. She had to save the man. That was what the Mother had made her for, why she had gifted Celeste with Her light. She had to be able to save this man. They had come to help, not to kill. Why had Gardinal killed? Why had Vallerian… She looked up at the count and saw him thrusting a knife right into another man’s throat, pulling it out, and tossing the same knife through a Jöln cultist’s eye. The two collapsed.

Lights dimming quickly, too quickly. Beginning to flicker into nonexistence.

Celeste lost control, the ever-vigilant hold she kept on her soul slipping through her fingers. Power pulsed out of her, pressing against her skin and wracking her with unending pain. No, the pain was not physical. It was mental. Anguish. She had never seen death before. Had never seen a soul slip from the world and into the Mothers embrace.

“I will fix them Mother.” She blubbered, thick tears streaming down her face as she cradled the dying man’s collapsed head in her arms. “You’ll be okay…” she whispered, pushing back his hood, and running her hands through his blood streaked hair. “You’ll be alright…” Thick vines of glistening light wrapped around his body. The light barely visible to her eyes now. “I’ll fix you.” She whispered to him. “I have to fix you.”

The flame flickered out.