High-altitude winds whipped Elinor’s braided white locks to the side as she sat on the edge of Kulitta’s vocal barrier in the sky. The songstress had a violinist behind them, maintaining their invisible platform; the handsome man was essentially a projection of her will that the woman was cultivating and a fusion of her imagination.

Thor stood beside them, his crimson cloak billowing in the gust like the hero he was. The Primordial had returned after surveying the area between them and the trial area, leaving the inner depths for Elinor to join in the fun. In truth, she’d known he’d be too tempted to explore the mysterious cavern, so Elinor had forced him back by putting the teens into this test, which he wouldn’t miss.

If that wasn’t enough, she figured having the five hundred unintelligent undead chase the miffed trickster would put a smile on his face; it had been a somewhat last-minute thing to draw a few things together, and she did need to give her children enough time to temper their God-Touched.

“They’ve improved by quite the margin, Lady Elinor,” Thor whispered, tracking their progress. “Sal may be able to sense our energy in the coming week if he refines his strengthening spiritual faculties.”

Kulitta’s melodic hum followed. “Are you certain you aren’t over-projecting his growth? Namtar is a wonderful teacher, and he would certainly take a bit of a lead in many areas, but I would add another five days to that projection.”

Elinor stayed out of their back and forth, keeping her attention on the retreating personification throughout the night; Apate could create illusions that would draw her undead away, yet it was far more work than it was worth, which was why she’d chosen to distract them by using the creatures of the grasslands.

By the way the teens’ spirits were cultivating, Sal would adapt himself to his group, developing his spiritual instincts. Valentina naturally had some of the tools he was refining, yet Nungal and the tiger girl were buckling down on pure power and self-reliance; it was on brand for her youngest not to be a team player.

Alisa was taking a similar route, not wanting to be a burden on her boyfriend and contribute in her own ways. She would be a critical member of their formation as time went on.

Masmu, her little white spiritual serpent, slithered out from around her breast to snake behind her neck and tickle her ear. “Hmm. I do feel your brother’s presence among them,” she mused. “Ninazu must really like Alisa’s drive… She’s taken a hard road.”

She reached up to stroke the white viper as Elinor allowed her to sink her long fangs into her neck, feeding the snake her daily dose of Death Energy; she was adapting well. Alisa would need to do the same and let her pet feast on the plane’s wildlife on their travels.

The first to wake from her refinement was Adoncia, and Apate guided the throng of zombies and skeletons to them the moment the maid’s eyes opened; she was far more doting on them than she would admit.

Elinor’s mind centered on her powerful maid—Adoncia was something odd—pulling herself back a little to rest her chin on her knee. Tiamat was taking a rather unorthodox approach to her God-Touched, and Elinor paid close attention to what was happening to the girl through the Nexus.

Tiamat is a riptide sinking Adoncia into the sea to bury the young woman in the sands beneath layers of power… She wants to strengthen her soul to accept the surge that’s to come, but it’s more about defense than offense. Interesting.

Alisa made Elinor smile when she took the lead, taking Apate back by complimenting her and drawing her party to join Valentina, and the trickster couldn’t even respond due to her innocent comment; she hit the personification right in the weak spot—the impressive part was, she didn’t even realize it.

Apate was so rarely shown appreciation and felt so alone that she rejected companionship out of reflex, yet the pure heart of a simple human teenage girl was cracking the cold shell she’d crafted. All the wine-haired woman could do was reflect now that the undead had been guided to their priority targets, which was likely uncomfortable—her walls were coming down.

If Elinor was going to have her group ready to face the challenges ahead, teamwork was necessary, and it required her to play a delicate game in guiding opposing personalities together.

The personification had been trapped inside of a teenage girl for years, powerless to her whims and desires that battered against her weakened state; there was more than one crack Elinor could exploit in bringing her heart into the fold. It was a complicated mixture she was brewing, molding opposing forces to work toward a common goal; understanding and growing from that union was the mark of a true leader.

Sal and Alisa set the pace, and Adoncia took care of the faster undead, making their way to Valentina, who was being swarmed by half of the horde herself; she’d already engaged the two-hundred and fifty enemies, making Thor’s expression fall.

“Apate hath taken much of her animosity out on Lady Val, yet thy daughter hath trained her well in defending herself.”

“The clash of the independent,” Elinor chuckled. “Apate and Valentina are very different from each other while being quite similar in a few critical areas… If I had given the tiger Beastkin the chance, she would have gone on her own solo quest. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t have provided her with the best growth opportunities, and I hope she will teach my daughter a few things in the process.”

A short hum came from the songstress beside her as she focused on the tigress, high on the thrill of her battle; she may have been exhausted, but she couldn’t be happier in the midst of a conflict. “Empress, is it just me, or has Valentina purposefully separated from the group to draw Apate’s attention?”

“A noble sacrifice,” Thor nodded. “She hath made herself a target to relieve the bulk of her party.”

“Mmh. I wouldn’t go that far,” Kulitta mumbled, scrutinizing the scene. “The girl doesn’t seem that selfless or honorable.”

Elinor’s chuckle became somewhat melancholy. “In my estimation, you’re both right, to a degree. Valentina doesn’t mix well with others, and she’s a natural predator, which is why she became a tiger in the first place; that doesn’t mean she likes to be alone, though. No, Apate is a challenger she can sharpen her claws against.”

She paused for several seconds; the tigress noticed she wouldn’t be able to survive on her own against the hoard, so she drew out a hidden tool. Elinor had anticipated her daughter instructing the girl on a method of drawing out a form of Divinity or Infernal energy when needed, but not this contentious style.

“That’s… not what I expected from you, Little Chain.”

* * *

Valentina’s chest heaved as she jerked awake, yet she couldn’t move for a full minute; tears leaked from her eyes, but there was a smile on her face—despite not a thing hurting, from the tip of her ears to the end of her tail.

Nungal was a violet-haired devil with a charming grin; her goddess told her she would want to die after the first ten seconds, and she hadn’t been wrong. The second she’d dumped a vial of black and gold liquid over her head, she’d felt the icy burn in every cell of her being.

She didn’t have a moment to rest as Nungal killed her, over a thousand deaths that were slow and meticulous, yet every time she was revived with the most thrilling rush she’d ever experienced, and it was as if every breath Nungal took while dissecting her in perfect movements was infused into her very essence.

The pain was the ticket to entry—the gate—to a wealth of experience that was transferred through grueling tribulation; it was as if she’d merged into one body with the obsessive goddess for a short time and learned her style of fighting. Even the lightest touch of Nungal’s fathomless intensity had nearly broken her into oblivion, yet she managed to pull through the first real lesson.

Sitting up, Valentina let the air within her lungs leave; she couldn’t remember the last time she actually breathed. She stared at a branch on a tree above her; she was at the edge of the Bloody Fields, where Nungal dragged her into their training session. It had been a long way to fall in the surprise meeting, but what a meeting it had been.

The pain is weakness leaving my body, she unconsciously thought, gritting her teeth and rising to her feet; she was in a daze, muscles flinching as she remembered the feel of them ripping with the goddesses’ movements imprinted into each fiber. Deeper… Sink further, and follow the tide…

Time stretched like a rubber band, and then she was standing in the field—everything hurt—a wall of undead raced toward her, and she mirrored Nungal’s soft voice in her soul, pulling her into a hypnotic trance. She twisted her hips, putting pressure against her screaming ligaments as she prepared for the tide; she was her own surging current far deeper.

Her victory was written in fate—more concrete than a word such as certainty—she would break through all obstacles. The world sped up, or perhaps she had, and her claws were out, slipping through gaps in the clumsy, mindless creatures that could never hope to touch her drawn-back hair.

She was a whirlwind of destruction, every strike debilitating, but she could go deeper—she could take more—every breath she took filled her ripping lungs with life-giving power, making her faster, sharpening her mind, increasing her joy, and reducing any semblance of fear as all that negativity was condensed into key parts of her body.

The intoxicating rush pumped with her heartbeat, increasing the blood flowing in her veins as divinity coated her lips, yet Valentina didn’t see the zombies and skeletons; every laceration or cut was made against herself as she took Nungal’s movements as her own.

Valentina blinked, head tilting to the side in curious confusion as her illuminated yellow eyes settled on the severed zombie head in her claws. “Huh?”

Focus going in and out, she passively scanned the black grass, painted in the decaying blood of her victims in the graveyard of bones and flesh; not one piece wasn’t cut with the utmost precision, leaving neat chunks of meat everywhere.

Her dulling eyes lifted to the brightening heavens as someone called her name, yet she was now on the ground, staring into the dead eyes of a ri’bot. The last thought she had was of Nungal’s beaming smile as she clapped and gave her a thumbs up.

“Good work, Val! You’ll get the hang of it.”

Her vision washed out.

* * *

Thor’s bright blue eyes narrowed as he studied the tigress’ massacre; all two-hundred and fifty of the undead lay motionless on the soiled ground by the time the others arrived. “Thou speaketh of the savage style Lady Val employed in her defense and offense; what hath thy daughter taught her?”

“Mmh.” Kulitta sat a little straighter as the tempo of the violin behind them hastened. “The only way she could learn those movements this quickly would be by spiritual refraction with Nungal… and to teach her the Way of the Disastrous Wind… Why would Nungal subject her to Pazuzu’s brutal training method? Even I would hesitate to teach her in such a punishing style.”

Nungal’s love for me… and her need to show it in surpassing me… She’s turned that into a weapon. I don’t know how I should feel about this…

Elinor’s mouth tightened as she dissected the dark rakes of Infernal slashes Valentina used; the girl countered its infectious influence with a Divine force, using it to infuse her soul—it should be impossible for a mortal—the tigress took in the lowest degree of positive energy while expelling negative. It was a style Elinor had perfected herself and was why she’d never lost to her twin.

It was heavily unrefined, which was why Kulitta mistook it for Pazuzu’s style, yet this was far more sophisticated than the demonic god’s influence—he had emulated the process from her, after all, and now her daughter was going down that path.

Nungal has been experimenting with my style… in her own way. Although she’s infused it into Valentina’s spirit through combat. Nungal and Valentina shouldn’t be able to handle it, so how is she sustaining the counteractive forces? The discipline required, even at this minor level, a demigod would require ages of spiritual refinement, unless… Nungal, you had her drink from the Wellspring of Eternities’ source when inside Irkalla.

“Thor…”

“Hmm?”

“Did Nungal take the mortals somewhere alone when I went to see Tiamat?”

He put his hands on his hips, vision wandering as he thought. “Thy daughter didst leave for a short reprieve with Lady Val; it was not for long.”

“I see…”

Leaning back to stare at the brightening sky, Elinor let the songstress and Primordial return to their discussion on the strange duality Valentina was exhibiting with her unusual behavior; their voices faded into oblivion as she re-evaluated her projections for the teens and pondered her daughter’s action.

When I entered the contest with Ishtar, you hatched your own little plot, my darling little choker… Something I wouldn’t allow that involves the Wellspring of Eternities. You fooled your older brothers because they would never be involved in something this dangerous and unpredictable without my approval, and…

Elinor puffed out a long stream of air while glaring at the sparse clouds overhead. …you brought Valentina onto this path while I was preoccupied with the Old Gods. Curse that cute, innocent smile of yours… You’ve been a lot more devious than I remember, and I should be proud of your deception and tactical execution, yet… this is not like you—not to this degree. What changed?

She reflected on the Crimson Tide that was assaulting Irkalla, yet this would have to have been something set into motion long before the disastrous event of their Existence’s collapse. Unwillingly, her thoughts went to the Old Gods, who would have taken full advantage of Ishtar and her absence to prepare various traps.

Sitting up, Elinor focused on the tigress; there would be a time and place to address it, but the girl would know extremely little, trusting in her mentor goddess. Little did Valentina know the cute Chain of Irkalla had deviated far from what her mother had in mind.

The most ominous part of this whole disturbing path her mind had just walked down was, after so much meticulous planning, why had Nungal directed Valentina to use it the moment the plan had sprung? For what reason did she want Elinor to know, and what was she expecting as a response? It was too late to reverse.

Elinor didn’t speak her thoughts to the gods with her as Sal, Alisa, and Adoncia made it to the quiet area, and Valentina collapsed, prompting the three to defend her; they cheered at her accomplishment, taking out over half herself and Alisa tried to stabilize the fallen tigress, dyed black in the rotten blood of the zombies she’d slain.

The girl wasn’t nearly skilled enough to fully understand what to do, but her spiritual waves mixed with the divine energy remaining in Valentina to push her back from the edge and begin healing. It didn’t take long for Adoncia to handle the rest with Sal’s help, gaining enhanced strength and durability through his standard Core Strengthening exercise with Namtar.

Once the last undead was handled, even Adoncia was a bit tired from constantly dealing with Apate’s restless attacks and being forced to take the bulk of the waves. Elinor communicated to Apate that they could be given the day to rest.

She left Thor and Kulitta to puzzle out their own thoughts as she wandered the endless grassland for several hours. Her daughter had pushed a boundary she wouldn’t cross herself, and, many times, that’s what it took to achieve victory; she’d taught Nungal that.

However, this could cause a drastic change in Valentina and the intoxication of channeling those forces without the honed discipline… It was a cruel high to come down from, and the fall was rapid. She’d need a few days to properly consider her response, which was a first for dealing with Nungal.

Are you feeling that stuck, Little Chain? You’re pushing boundaries with Valentina since you knew I wouldn’t let you join me here… Then again, her firm, decision-making mother is silent for a few days after her statement? Perhaps it is my failure.

Elinor held a hand against her breast; in a way, she felt stuck from this revelation, which had rarely happened in her long sentinence—this was new ground with her daughter.

Unforunately, this is the last chapter in UE Draft 1; I have moved to the rewrite. You can find it here