Nature has a peculiar way of handling things. Or well, Gaia did. After all, the lesser servants of nature, like the deer was one, were but the tip of an intricate machinery, designed to uphold the balance, everything under the light was based on.

And so, it was not much of a surprise, really, that the events that had occurred in the middle of nowhere, at the borders of humanity, in a tiny settlement, triggered an alarm of sorts. An ancient spell, like magical tripwire, spread all over the world.

That magic reacted to one thing, and one thing only. To a servant's soul corrupted, devoured by the everlasting night.

...

On a wild mountain, in a temple forgotten by time itself, the sound of otherworldly bells wafted through a grand hall. At one end of that lavishly decorated hall, filled to the brim with gold and other precious metals, stood an ornate throne.

For a thousand years, nothing had disturbed the dusty silence of this place, and yet now, something stirred. On that exalted chair, a thing awoke, torn from sleep by the sound of that atavistic spell.

Listening, sighing, the ancient being slowly rose from its seat. It knew, that the time had come to act once more, as was to be expected. After all, there was but one true constant in the world: The bells would always ring again, some day.

Duty called, the sole purpose sworn to fulfill. With an almost mechanical motion, the being leaned to the right, picking up The Tidebringer, a weapon forged by Hephaistos himself and enchanted by Lux, personally, aeons ago. A weapon, specifically designed to fight back the shadows, that would otherwise swallow the world whole.

"Old friend.." the being spoke to the nearly unbreakable katana, with a thunderous voice like metal, clashing upon metal. "..i am in need of your service once more. To purge the corruption, that has stepped out of the endless night behind reality, yet another time."

As if to heed the call, the syllables carved onto its white edge started glowing in a faint blue, pulsating, almost resembling a beating heart.

With a violent whistle, the air filled the gap where the entity had stood just a blink ago. Armed with a divine weapon, the ancient being rushed towards the foe, a foe that had to be stopped at all cost, lest the world would end, its instincts guiding it into the right direction.

...

Alira's POV

...

Everyone still laid unconscious, and so i wondered aloud. "Galdir, will they wake up, soon.. or ever, for that matter?"

After brief hesitation, the crow spoke. "Until the curse of darkness laid upon them is cleared, it is unlikely, this one humbly submits."

Great. I was at a tipping point, yet again. What to do next? I was trying my best to ignore the lust for bloodshed and ruin and conquer, my new self forced into my mind. To be honest, it was annoying. While per se, i had nothing against ruling the world, my priorities right now needed to be more immediate. Remedy the situation. Look for the next logical step.

Step towards world domination!

Ahhh! Shut up, me!

Anyway, yeah. The best would probably be to just leave this place. But where to go? Just as i was looking for an answer to that one, a bad feeling rose from the depths within me. Not fear, no, i somehow wasn't capable of fear anymore, but some kind of deep uneasiness.

Geez, what is it now? Annoyance fought down the bad, undefined emotion. Only that it soared back up to unknown heights again, almost instantly. Out of a whim, probably born from the uneasy itself, i turned around, watching out onto the fields at the southern end of my former home. That's right, not my home anymore, i decided just now.. or had it already been decided for me, when Galdir appeared? Or even before that? I didn't know, and it didn't matter, something more pressing had just come up.

Run.

That popped into my head.

I am not ready yet, to take on something of that strength.

That also popped into my head.

I need to flee.

In fact, this were the only thoughts occupying my mind, when i saw the bright wave of light, that came crashing down over the steep hillocks at the horizon. It was the image of an ocean, like i had seen pictures of, in my favorite bedtime books, years ago. Only this flood was a pure white, not the greenish blue i remembered. Also, it moved impossibly fast. In the split second passed since turning around, this white tide had already reached the outskirts of the village.

Fortunately, the inherent knowledge, that had somehow allowed me to reign in the shadows i leaked before, gave away yet another piece of golden wisdom. It basically opened a door for me. Quite literally. In the surface of the world around me, cracks tore open in a blink. The exact moment before the light, i somehow knew would hurt me badly, reached the place where i stood, everything turned to nothingness. The canvas, reality is painted on, had withered away and i found myself in the eternal night behind.

The last image, burned into my eyes still, filled me to the brim with anger. The same primal hatred triggered by looking upon that deer, just more intense, if that was even possible. In the midst of the rising tide that threatened to consume me, i had seen the outlines of an humanoid entity, holding a katana.

"That was a close call, master."

In this place devoid of sensory input, i was surprised to hear a voice next to my ear. I tried to focus my eyes, and the same strange circumstance, that allowed me to see in the forced night earlier, began working its magic again. Galdir sat on my shoulder, his eyes two torches in the dark. He almost looked grateful.

"It is good you flew over to me in time, crow." I stated, matter of factly.

"If you hadn't waited, that forsaken light would have burned me to a crisp. This one offers his utmost thanks."

Huh? I didn't remember waiting, at all. Seems that the autonomous part of my new self got it all right though. Nice. And somehow disturbing.

"What the FUCK was that, anyway?" I almost shouted, still fired up by that unexplained hatred.

Wow. Swearing was something i didn't do before, like, ever. Always something new, to keep it interesting, huh? Go me.

"Shit, i don't know, master. But that light scorched my wings." Galdir broke out of his dignified 'this one thinks' role for a second, while raising one of his wings.

It looked badly burned.

...

Keth Amir's POV

...

I had almost reached the place, where the shadow allegedly revealed itself. Yet, when i arrived, i couldn't sense it. The only thing that registered on my mind, was the black aura of a Valkyrie, and that of a girl, also bearing a faint darkness in her being. Well, some unconscious humans too. Anyway, those two still awake were not my problem, at all. While probably being aligned to the dark forces, they themselves were creatures that belonged to nature, albeit not the nature associated with Gaia. As such, i had no obligation to fight them, as long as they didn't attack me first.

Still, i drew my weapon out of caution, releasing its might, while rushing towards the exact spot, my instincts told me, were the center of current events. I made up my mind about asking that girl, or threaten her, to tell me where the shadow had gone, though.

To my utter surprise, just before i reached her, she vanished in a Void Gate, dragging along the crow that had flown towards her in the last moment.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I was as dumbfounded, as sentient metal like me can get. What the damn?

My senses still told me, that she was but a normal girl, maybe a little dark, nothing more. Except that a human girl could never have conjured a gate into the nothingness. Also, there was a shadow here and she was here and coincidence like this didn't happen.

But a shadow, powerful enough to hide from one, like me? Bearing Tidebringer, non the less? Ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous the fact, that she fled. Why would someone that strong flee? Unless she wasn't that powerful. But then again, why could i not identify her as the shadow, she had to be?

As i said, something was oh so very wrong here. I would need to report this, to Gaia herself. But first, i decided to purge the curse that had befallen the humans here. To me, it was easy, and no one innocent deserved to sleep forever, plagued by nightmares. Also, it gave me a little more time to think on the circumstances i just witnessed.

...

"The shadows must kneel, brought down by the white tide ever rising." - The Tidebringer's insignia, carved onto its edge.