The Dark Eternal Night

Lyra Karant

The Idol

For some reason, Lyra felt incredibly out of her depth with the new job she'd accepted.

To paint the picture, both her and Spirit-- who she'd met semi-recently and was a fellow guild member of Luminous Rose-- had decided to take on a job that had been posted that seemed a little challenging, but would push them both to their limits. This task seemed, on the surface, entirely simple, but carried the undercurrent of inevitable danger with it. The job itself asked for an archaeologist turned treasure hunter to have an escort to a recently uncovered dig site so that he could uncover a dangerous and ancient artifact that, so the legend went, could grant a single wish at the turn of the lunar eclipse. With that particular celestial event ready to happen that very evening, there was no doubt in this man's mind that he was going to take hold of his treasure, hold it aloft, and receive his wish. What that wish was had been kept secret from the two guilded mages, which in Lyra's opinion was probably for the best. If it was something evil, frankly, she didn't want to know about it.

Truthfully, the most dangerous part of this job as far as she was concerned was the fact that he, the treasure hunter, was coming along for the ride. It was one thing for Lyra and Spirit to be able to enter a potential battle zone on their own, where they could execute the use of their magic to the best of their abilities and defend themselves. This man, however, was no such powerhouse. He did not possess the ability to defend himself magically, meaning that the task of keeping him safe would inevitably fall to Lyra. This was one of the main reasons it would take both of them working together in order to execute this mission - one of them to fight their enemies, one of them to defend him from them. It was a system that had worked in the past, but had only been tested against a far weaker foe. Lyra was unsure how well they'd be able to perform under pressure in this particular environment. However, unwilling to give up, the rose angel had asked Spirit for his assistance once again. If this panned out for them, great, it would be of benefit to them both. If not... well, they tried.

Therefore, a number of train trips had been required: first, for the pair of mages, from Sakuramori to Talonia to collect their third party member. Then, from Talonia to a small town out in the desert near where they had previously been together. From there, a third train out to an even more remote village, where the train line passed through on its way to a much larger town. That village was the staging base for the archaeological dig site that the treasure hunter originally worked, meaning that they could stock up on supplies before they made the trip through the desert in whatever vehicle that they could get their hands on - in this case, a green jeep that was powering along through the desert, which the treasure hunter was all too happy to drive.

Lyra had chosen to sit in the front with the treasure hunter in the four-seater vehicle which had seen better days. Not because she necessarily wanted to, but it would allow her closer access to their companion, plus it would allow Spirit a bit more latitude to move and attack if something did come up.

Wait. Since when had she started thinking so... combatively strategically? Never mind.

She looked over at Spirit, and nodded her head. "How's it going back there?"

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

Lyra let out a little giggle as she observed Emerald for the first time; the tiny blue little dragon was a cute little thing that she'd never really seen before.

"Well, we'll definitely take good care of her, don't you worry! Hi there, Emerald, you're very cute," Lyra said out loud, smiling at the antics of the little critter. It reminded her of the crystal phoenix that was inevitably waiting for her back at Sakuramori - still too young to be taken on as a pet, but once Mysie and Lyra raised them to be old enough, they were going to be wonderful little companions. Seeing Emerald and her playful nature with her friend Spirit was enough to make Lyra long for the companionship of her own little critter, but that was such a long ways off that she wasn't sure it'd happen any time soon.

"Alright, guys, we're coming up on the ruins," came the voice from the driver's seat - the treasure hunter sure did know his way around. They were just about there. Lyra turned her head from the back seat to look over the front, and sure enough there it was. The dig site could only be described as massive. The place was full of excavation pits, where half-buried white marble columns and ruined structures jutted out from the sand dunes. As they reached for the heavens, you could see the damage that running sand and the apparent wear and tear of time had left on the remains of whatever civilization had once inhabited this region. Large cuts and gouges were cut out of all of the marble structures, as well as a series of crumbled ruins that had obviously come from some of the large chunks of the buildings. What remained of the marble pillars out in the open formed obvious pathways between desecrated buildings, leaving little to the imagination of the layout of the entire complex. Some stairs remained intact, porving that these buildings had been placed on the sand with purpose originally, perhaps during a time when the sands of this particular area had been a little more durable and more amenable to construction on harder ground.

In short, for those who loved ancient ruins, this was an absolute paradise.

"Pretty, isn't it?" the man in the driver's seat asked. "I've been working this site for the last six years. A lot of this is my life's work, and now all of it is going to come to a head tonight when the moon hits its zenith."

Lyra couldn't help but admire his drive; yes, he was walking head first into a dangerous situation, but that did not change the fact that this was something he'd admired and allowed his drive to carry him towards for his entire life. Seizing this relic and proving its worth would be an incredible feat, one that cemented his name in the history books forever. The rose angel had no hesitation in believing that this was his ultimate goal, no matter what his wish was.

Satisfied that, for now, there was nothing present, Lyra looked over the seat at Spirit again.

"My first thought is that we pull up and find somewhere to make temporary camp. It's still relatively early, so we're going to have plenty of time until the moon rises enough that this all comes to a head. I'm rather contemplating that we spend enough time to eat and rest up before the bad guys who want this too inevitably turn up and we have to start fighting. Better to be prepared early. Are you both okay with that?"

The unfortunate reality of rare and legendary treasure was that there were plenty of others who wanted the same prize. Lyra had run into the exact same problem with her phoenix eggs, where a number of other groups had attempted to seize them - well, more to the point, eat them - while Mysie had delegated her the task. The same thing was going to likely be true here, which was such a shame. There was going to be a huge fight and Lyra was not looking forward to having to handle that issue. Whatever the case, Lyra wanted to ensure that they were all suitably prepared before combat began - and to that end she was already murmuring quiet words, the pledge of sanctity that formed shields around them. Spirit would be entirely familiar with this phenomenon, having experienced her defensive barriers once in the past. Yes, truly, it paid to be prepared sooner rather than later, to which Lyra was going to ensure that they were in fact very ready for whatever came their way.

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

Time passed. It was a long day; plenty of tea was poured by the rose mage, and conversation was had as the sun began to reach the nadir of the horizon. The moon would come soon enough, but there was still plenty of time before the eclipse. A number of hours, in fact, which gave them all sufficient time to prepare. At Spirit's request, her shielding magic was set - it would be enough to hold until the time that they acquired the artifact.

Lyra's senses were not quite as sharp as Spirit's, but something could be felt upon the wind. She paused for a second as he rattled off their abilities, and then--

"Wait. Did you say wind and fire?" Lyra asked as a smile grew across her lips. Well wasn't that convenient? "No matter. I'll take these three. Spirit, stay here, guard our wonderful new friend. I have a few choice words for these malcontents."

With that, Lyra's wings immediately sprouted from her back and she shot to the skies; there was no hesitation on her part now that she knew exactly what they were up against. After all, she was perfectly suited to handling enemies of both wind and flame. They were, after all, her two chosen elements. She wasn't about to lose to someone who could not produce the strength to counteract her innate might.

A moment later, the rose angel landed before three exceptionally confused foes. "Hi."

"Move, girl! Out of our way! The treasure is ours!" roared back the man who appeared to be the leader of this pack, who had only focus and fury writ upon his face. Lyra could only smile at the challenge.

"By all means. Please, try to make me."

Her arms spread out, and pink petals sprouted from her wings on cue. She was going to make her stand here. Lashes of wind and flame shot towards her, the elemental blasts flying and threatening to consume her in raging blasts of raw magic, their power sufficient to shred solid marble if necessary. These foes were powerful enough to damage the structures around her, indicating nothing short of extreme potential that they displayed. It was considerable - sufficiently so that they could have floored her if they chose. Unfortunately for them, Lyra had a trick up her sleeve.

All she had to do was breathe. And breathe she did.

In a single breath, all three attacks were absorbed by her powers. This single act was enough to draw fear upon her enemies' faces, enough to show them that she was on a level beyond that which they could handle yet. Their power fueled her - enough so that in the next second she had already teleported upon them, right up in their faces. The wind shuddered at her call, screaming around her so powerfully that it became a razor-sharp maelstrom that threatened to consume her foes. In the next second, that wind became a raging torrent of flame as well. Whether they were consumed by fire or by the swift cuts of the wind was irrelevant to Lyra, for while she had sacrificed her powers of offence... there was a difference when it came to the elements of her choosing. This was, in fact, her domain. She would not lose to foes that could manipulate her elements when she could consume the raw destructive power of an entire tornado and survive.

Ten seconds later, the angel's wings touched back down on the sands in front of her allies. There wa sa smile on her face, and a look that seemed as if she believed absolutely nothing had happened.

"Sorry about the wait. Problem taken care of. Are you all alright?"

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

Safe was the last word that Lyra wanted to use for anything they were doing in this dig site now. She could feel it in the winds, the ominous storm that brewed on the edge of their senses. Whatever things that they had already fought at this point were only the first wave in what promised to be a considerably bigger conspiracy that threatened to boil over like the worst made pot of tea. She knew this in the depths of her heart; anyone who wished to get their hands on a wish that could grant absolutely any desire would be a target for any number of vagabonds and dark-hearted enemies. The ones that Lyra had engaged earlier were just a scouting party, the vanguard to the main force that would be upon them in no time at all. Whenever they chose to rear their ugly heads and make the two Rose mages engage them, well, that time would inevitably have to be upon them soon.

However, it was beautiful to be able to observe the masonry that was around them as they wandered through the buildings. Their archaeologist friend was certainly adept at navigating this place, knowing it like the back of his hand; he found every nook and cranny, every twist and turn, and used them to his advantage when he pressed buttons that the two mages could not even see. This puzzle was not for them to solve. Lyra could absolutely confirm that she would not have been able to do this, which was probably for the best. The immortal power of an infinite wish was not something she wished, even if strengthening herself was her ultimate goal. There were some lines that mere mortals likely should not have crossed.

As the moon began to crest its way through the skies above them, Lyra could feel the sensation building in her heart. It was a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, something that deigned to claw its way out of whatever was binding it and consume her entire being. This was not a feeling she enjoyed. She knew, deep down, that this was going to be the real threat of the night.

The jubilation of finding the idol in the depths of this place was suddenly eclipsed by that shadow.

"Do you feel that, Spirit?" Lyra asked with barely a whisper - she knew that the sharp-sensed young man with her would be able to hear it upon his slayer-enhanced ears. She, too, possessed the same sense. "They're coming. And in greater numbers. I think it's time for you to shine. You're a far better fighter than I am, so I'm happy to let you take the lead here."

Without another word, Lyra pushed both flame and wind; Spirit would be able to benefit from Lyra's movement speed, shielding and strength benefits once more, where he would inevitably be able to maximise his ability to engage opponents to the maximum. With the blessing of constant healing and a protective shield, Spirit could fight freely as he wished with a little less regard for his own safety. Not that Lyra wanted him to disregard his safety, of course-- it simply meant that he'd be able to push himself much harder in the midst of battle than he could have done on his own. Ideally, Lyra wanted him to come back unharmed. It would not do for her friends to be hurt in the midst of a fight.

However, at this point, the forces of shadow were gathering on the horizon. A lord of shadow, master of his element and conjurer of beasts and spirits befitting his nature, was preparing to make his assault upon the dig site to claim the prize that in his mind was truly only his. He had slaved away to make an unbreakable mission plan, one that would overcome the treasure hunter he had been stalking for the last six months, and any hired muscle that he had brought upon this trek. Inevitably, he was preparing to unleash his dark horde upon them. His shades that could slip through any shadow that he conjured, as well as his two strongest acolytes, would be the fodder he threw upon the wall. As anticipated, the three mages that he had hired to test their abilities had been felled with relative ease, which meant that he would have to take the field himself at some point to ensure the demise of the two rose mages.

At that moment, the lord of shadow crossed the threshold to the dig site, cloaked in liveries of white and black, a two-tone mask upon his face. His first act was to raise his spindly fingers as he descended the first staircase into the depths where the adventuring party lay in wait, his four shadowy wraiths speeding along the walls, using shadows to travel as fast as they could. Like hunting hounds, they tracked their wary prey, ready to spring upon them at any moment's notice before they slunk back into the shadows where they could not be harmed. This was their territory now.

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

Lyra had never been so pressed for constant casting in her life. This was a new kind of challenge, one that she would rise up to and ensure that she gave her best possible showing to; Spirit was out there, constantly engaging targets, and it was her responsibility to ensure that not only was he constantly topped up and ready to fight, but she also had the responsibility to ensure that the treasure hunter went totally unharmed as a result of the fighting that was going on around them. Unfortunately, that was looking to be increasingly difficult as their foes began to multiply. Lyra was not the greatest fighter, but it seemed like she was going to have to learn, real fast.

"Is this normal?" the treasure hunter asked of Lyra, as she kept herself knelt down beside him, ensuring that she could block any incoming attacks with her body. She would shield him directly as necessary, but the fact was that as she could consume most of the elemental attacks that came her way, she was coping rather well with what she was dealing with.

"Not at all, my friend, not at all," she commented, knowing that he was probably terrified for his life. "I bet you're glad you asked for help now!"

"You have no idea," came the dry reply.

At that moment, Lyra's eyes picked up something that made her heart stop. "Uh, Spirit?" Lyra said, her eyes drifting over to the enemy commander, who was reaching into his pouch. She knew what this was; her mentors had taught her incredibly well about most of the varieties of magic, and this was no exception. Lyra had sufficient knowledge to have seen what was going on previously, and what the rose mage saw, she did not like in the least. While she could have maybe handled the boss on her own, this? No way in the nine hells would she survive this sort of onslaught.

Suddenly, the air around them filled with a brilliant light, the key shining with unbridled radiance as it consumed the room with its brightness. As the key began floating upwards of its own volition, the crystal, immaculate key began to glow even brighter, before expanding outwards into the gargantuan form of a large, shadowy, horned monster; red and black tinged its entire body, with its arms, legs and tail wispy like a shade as its back horns billowed outwards. This thing was easily twelve feet tall and left an imprint in the sand with every step that it took with its immense bulk. Rows of vicious fangs and unholy golden eyes marked a facce rimmed with curled, wicked horns. This devil, this shadowy monstrosity, had been conjured to kill the enemies of the lord of darkness. This marked a fow that was incredibly difficult to handle.


Without hesitation, Lyra looked to their companion - she cast one final spell of shielding upon his body and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lay down, stay down, and make sure you're well out of the line of fire. I'm so sorry it's come to this."

Then, in the next second, the rose angel took to the skies. The lord of shadows laughed maniacally as the monster began taking steps towards Spirit, as the primary-- and extremely flashy-- combatant; the beast had sufficient raw power to hurt every single person gathered here. Now that the minions of the lord had been mostly dispatched, the monster could rampage freely before the moon hit its peak. As long as the enemies were slain and the idol claimed in its master's name, there was no way that it would be stopped from committing whatever heinous deeds that it wished. Its claws, taloned and massive, looked as if they dripped with poison too - a hit from this thing was going to come to this.

"Heavens have mercy, for this is not the way," Lyra murmured to herself before she channelled her inner powers to her maximum. To his credit, Spirit had attempted to ensure that Lyra could have sufficient energy to reach slayer force, which was incredibly kind of him - he was a wonderfully cooperative team-mate and was very thoughtful, even in the heat of battle. However, she had a little trick up her sleeve - she did not need assistance to reach Force. As a hybrid slayer, this was a power she simply had innately, which meant that she was going to have the ability to exude raw power constantly. At almost full power regardless, she was ready to do exactly what was necessary to protect her allies. Insane amounts of power began to leak from Lyra's body as she channelled every drop of her magic to become the final form that her two combined lacrimas would inevitably become - she was, in this moment, the truest essence of her slayer powers.

The unstoppable force.

"Let's do this, Spirit!" she shouted - in that moment, the petal trail that she left as she flew became a roaring tornado of flaming sakura, while her hands drew careful patterns through the air to ensure that her binding spells would be sufficient. Instead of engaging directly-- yet-- she was going to ensure that Spirit could unleash maximum pain on this foe. To that effect, flaming chains shot their way up from the sands beneath the monster to bind it in place, locking it down and holding it still. This would be just enough for the girl to follow up with her second ability, enough to cut its strength and spell strength, draining its will to fight as best as a shadowy monster could be demoralized anyway. With it held in place, it would be wonderful fodder for whatever attacks that Spirit had up his sleeve to disarm and dismantle this enemy. The beast roared, struggling against the chains that held it still; it would not be bound so, but try as it might it could not break away from that which held it pinned to the earth.

For now, the rest would be up to Spirit - at that point, his raw strength would be the guiding light that they needed to find their way through this insane fight.

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

It seemed that no matter how hard Spirit decided to hit the beast or its master, it was almost as if they were rather resistant to their attacks. This was, in its own way, problematic; Lyra's combat strength was only so powerful that she could deliver unto her foes, for she had intentionally sacrificed her full range of combat abilities in order to be the best she possibly could at defending her allies. Therefore, it was his magic that would be guiding the way for both of them to seek victory here, but if even his strongest attacks were only doing so much, then there was going to be a problem.

Suddenly, though, a flash of inspiration hit the rose mage, and she knew that there was a peculiarity that simmered in the air. She could absolutely feel it. "Spirit! Look up!" Lyra shouted as she realised exactly what was going on in the world around them.

Were one to turn their gaze heavensward, they would see that the moon was now reaching the climactic finale of its starry apex; the eclipse was only now beginning to reach its zenith, where the eclipse would begin. As the moon's surface began to darken, the ground beneath them commenced trembling under the raw magical pressure that was now exuding from the idol; it was a phenomenon that terrified the man who was currently holding the magical relic. This introduced its own series of problems to the issue at hand, where whomsoever held the idol would in the next few minutes have the ability to make their wish. With a rampaging monster and an angry mage trying their very best to stake their claim, this warzone was about to become a lot hotter.

At the mere thought of losing his right to take the wish that was rightfully his, the lord of shadows screamed in rage. "No! You will not take this from me!"

Enraged, both shadow demon and its master hastened their charge. In the next instant, the lord of shadows raised his hands and unleashed a column of black energy towards the sands, where Lyra was settling towards the surface; the pillar of unholy light vaporized the sand and marble under its touch, and Lyra found her barriers shaking under the effect of the single blow. Her body, wracked with darkness, struggled to hold itself up under the effect. She knew that, even with her slayer force active and running at maximum, that this was not something she was going to be able to maintain for an extended period of time. She was only now using mana passively, which even then she was recovering quickly, but a wellspring of mana did not make up for a lack of raw talent and ability. Without the pure power required to resist their enemies, they needed to be far more intelligent in the way they approached this battle.

Gods, they needed a new plan.

The realisation that the treasure hunter could in fact make his wish while Lyra, Spirit and their enemies continued fighting hit her like a freight train; they didn't have to have them beaten in order for that moment to pass. The logic simply stated that, to paraphrase, whomsoever beheld the idol under the lunar eclipse would have their wish granted. If the treasure hunter was holding that relic at that moment and could raise it to the sky, then all would be well and their mission would be accomplished. After that, dealing with a defensive fight was no longer the concern and the two Luminous Rose mages could go all out offensively. Whatever that wish was, Lyra reckoned, it had better be a good one. She knew that it probably wasn't going to be a bad wish-- hopefully-- so if there was ever a moment for Lyra to engage a target and throw her body on the line to  ensure that she could create of herself a wall with which to defend one single person, this was it. After all, this was the moment she had trained for. If in a moment of true testing she failed to live up to the one thing she wished to become, she was little more than an abject failure. Failure, in this case, would absolutely not be tolerated.

She breathed out, and moved forward into the void space between the treasure hunter, the shadow beast and its master. With a slow exhale, flames began to channel outwards, creating shielding effects of flame that centered on herself. The slayer in her powerful hybrid form could not fail. Would not fail. Her shields would be refreshed as much as they needed, whether she was starting to bleed to death or not.

Lyra Karant would hold the line, into death.

"Come, fell beasts! I am your opponent!" she shouted, hoping that with such an over-egotistical challenge, that their attention would fall to her for even a moment. If she could maintain their attention until the exact moment of the lunar eclipse, that was all she needed. This was her fight, her duty.

The monster came before her, and she stared up into the visage of death; raising its claw, it lashed down at the pink-haired woman as she planted her feet on the floor and raised her hands as best she could to intercept the incoming attack. It splashed off her shield of flame once more, but it too was beginning to fail; Lyra could only do so much in that moment. A litany of purity issued forth from her lips as she spoke the incantation of blessed healing, trying her absolute best to pre-emptively heal her own wounds and prepare herself for the horrors of pain that were to come.

Hopefully, Spirit had the right idea. Somehow, without telepathic communication, she absolutely needed him to distract his enemy long enough so that their mission could be completed. Hopes and prayers were an insufficient means of communication, unfortunately, so it was little more than a furtive need to know that he was doing exactly what she needed him to in this moment. If they could keep their attention just a little longer, victory would belong to the forces of good.

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Lyra Karant

The Idol

Well, that happened.

Lyra was mildly concerned by the fact that Spirit had pushed himself to that point. He'd fallen unconscious, which meant that he'd exhausted every drop of his energy. It was unfortunate that he would not be able to see the ending to this brilliant tale, but Lyra knew in her heart that the ending would not have happened without his assistance. The two enemies had faded away from existence, annihilated into nothing; there was nothing left of the forces of darkness that had gathered. It was such a departure from the expectations of the woman that she couldn't help but pause and reflect as she stood from the desert sands, considering how to proceed next.

Everything fell so powerfully, palpably silent in the air that its thickness could almost be felt. The moon smiled down upon them.

The treasure hunter stood up, dusted himself off, and looked over at the clearly injured woman and the unconscious man. "Is he gonna be okay?" he asked, pausing for a second.

"Yes, but...Do not let all of that be in vain, okay?" Lyra asked, pointing upwards at the moon with a rather expectant look on her face.

"Right."

The treasure hunter raised the idol to the sky, which flooded it with light; its eyes blazed a brilliant green as it shone brilliantly under the influence of luna herself. In that moment, the man felt nothing but bright luminescense radiate throughout his entire being, given a moment of choice in his life; his eyes shut as he contemplated the deepest recesses of his heart and searched them for the absolute truth. The moment passed. His eyes opened. The idol vanished out of existence.

"Done."

The finality with which he spoke told Lyra everything that she needed to hear, offering the man a small smile as he walked across the sands to her. She did not need to ask if he had received exactly what he had wished for, as his tone told her the entire story. That wish had, without reservation, been granted. Whatever it was had not changed the landscape around them, which indicated that for now it was not insidious in nature.

"So what was your wish?" Lyra asked, scooping Spirit's form off the sand with the intent of carrying him back to their jeep. She couldn't fix magical exhaustion; there were certain rules of the universe that she would not even attempt to break. Such things were taboo, and she would not fight reality. Instead, she knew that she could let him sleep this one off and get them both home safety using cars and trains. There was no issue there. Honestly, she needed some sleep herself anyway.

"Can't tell you, sadly. Let's just say I have some more work for you, later on." After all, this man now carried knowledge that he knew none other alive could ever possibly have. It was something simple in theory, but it was going to prove pivotal.

The pair crossed the desert sands back to their ride, leaving the ruins quietly behind them. The hunter had gained exactly what he wished, left unharmed and was successful in his task. It would mean plenty of jewels for the pair of mages that assisted him - and, when the time was right, he was going to ask them again to assist with yet another task that would find the finality of his life's work. Unhesitatingly, his glee simply could not be contained, though he had to. He could not speak a single word of the wish that had been granted thanks to the geas placed upon him by this quest.

For now, however, this mission was over, and as the moon traced its lazy path through the sky, its blessing remained upon them.

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