???'s POV
Pulsing, seething hate roils through my body. My Vessel whimpers in pain, unable to do anything else, their head just barely visible now, almost entirely consumed by the changes I've wrought to them.
That pang of anger and hate... It didn't come from me, oh no, it came from something deeper down. A primordial force that has just realized its greatest enemy has just been reborn. That Leicher feels it too, they're writhing on the floor, no secondary Self to cushion the rage.
Even the cocooned followers seem afflicted. Indeed, I suspect every Malice-laden being in the World has felt the effects.
And I weep. So close to be with Her, and it's snatched away from me.
...
If the remote option is gone, then we have to become more direct... I'm sure Leicher will be elated at the news. Drawing Her here will be no easy task, but I'm willing to sacrifice everything for the chance to be with Her again.
Grand Temple of Parshura
As witnessed by the Divine
In the capital of Parshura, B'dur, a grand building stands. Although large, it is not made of opulent materials or excessively decorated, yet it radiates a power of grandeur befitting the biggest church in the kingdom.
Within its walls, beyond the grand hall that can house half the city's population at once, lies the inner sanctum of the Grand Priestess. Only one Grand Acolyte is in power at any one time, and her making her home in Parshura might seem controversial to some, but it is in truth a matter of convenience.
Parshura is located almost entirely in the middle of the continent, making it the ideal home base for someone who has a duty to travel to any settlement requiring the services of the Grand Acolyte, even if it means travelling to the edge of the known World.
Currently, the practically-nude form of the Grand Priestess is laid out on a padded table, her body being prepared for a cleansing ritual. Her back is covered in strange, glowing tattoos, each one representing a place of Divine Importance, such as a Divine Spring or the Great Temples.
These tattoos, or runes, are the mark of the Grand Acolyte, and once they die, their skin will adorn the Grand Temple in the Hall of Remembrance.
With practiced hands, the Cleanser dips their brush into a bowl of sacred water. Starting at the mark representing the Parshuran Great Temple, they begin to trace a path between it and the Spring Keep Divine Spring, before their breath catches in their throat and they drop their brush.
"Cleanser, is something the matter?" The Grand Priestess lifts her head slightly as she casts an annoyed glance towards them.
"Your... There's... Let me get a mirror." The Cleanser stammers, a manner unbecoming of them, but the Priestess chooses to hold her tongue for now, if they're this rattled by what they've seen, then she better wait with her judgement.
The Priestess gasps slightly as she sees the large rune that's etched itself into her skin. As long as she holds the position of Grand Priestess, any new sites of Divine Importance will appear on her skin, and once she dies, her marks would provide insight to the Acolytes of the future regarding the location of historic Sites.
She's only seen this mark once before. This large central rune encircled by a snaking, vibrant green circle of smaller runes. It was on the preserved skin of the first Grand Acolyte. At that time, it was located where the Elder Dragon of Plant has their Domain currently.
However, the Grand Acolyte succeeding the first one lacked several Sites, indeed, they were missing five large marks similar to the one now etched upon her skin.
Something strange and perhaps wonderful has happened in the Domain of the Great Monarch. Perhaps it is time to pay it a visit. The cleansing ritual can wait, this is more important, the Grand Priestess thinks as she dons her robes, leaving a confused Cleanser behind.
Millibelle's POV
I'm dreaming, I'm sure. I'm in that cave where I first met Shadow. We're lying next to each other, our bodies intertwined and entangled.
"We- we did it. We're saved..." Shadow mumbles, her eyelids heavy, her breath's slow. I notice a deep gash on her neck.
"You're hurt..." I try to reach for the wound, but I'm unable to move, too tightly intermingled with Shadow.
"You- the Malice- I got nailed pretty good. Seems it's translated into damage to the psyche. D-don't worry! I'll... I'll just sleep it off... But before that- you gotta review my memories of when you were asleep. Lot's- Lot's of stuff happened." Her voice weakens, becoming more of a slurred mumble than actual speech.
"I got it, you rest. Don't worry." I tell her as her eyes close and the cave starts to dissipate into darkness.
I wake. I'm on the ground, dripping wet. Before I'm even able to take in the scene properly, I'm nearly dogpiled by excited Servants. I try to put my right arm in front of me to prevent the most excited of them from getting at my face, only to notice that...
Nothing moved.
Wuh? Eh? M-My arm? No actually, my wing! My hind leg! Even my tail... The limbs I regrew during the fight with the Hero... There's just the tiniest nubs left!
Panic flares to the surface, compounded by my touch-aversion, I cry out. "Get off of me!" I wail, tears filling my eyes.
"Oh dear, I told you lot to be calm when she woke up, now look what you've done..." The Servants slink back, uncertain and quite possibly with hurt feelings. A woman... no, Yggdrasil, comes into view. She looks just like- just like mom...
"Shh... It's okay..." She kneels down next to me, my panic subsiding, though my tears and sobs just won't stop once they've begun. "I should have waited to tell them until you had woken up properly, I apologize." She doesn't reach out to me, though I can sense the warmth she radiates.
"I- I just got startled- I'm so-sorry" I manage to say between the sobs. A meltdown, I wonder how long it's been since I've had one of those... I scan the cave. There, those three, they're the new ones, former Aurellium. And there, Huldr, now the Vir'ava. I'm so glad she got to become strong like she wished.
Delpha steps forward, slightly hesitantly. "Is- is Shadow okay?" She asks, worry evident on her face. "S-she got hurt. She's sleeping at the moment, but don't worry, she'll be just fine soon enough." At least, I hope she will.
"For now, I advice that you rest and let your Regeneration Skill heal those missing limbs. Forcefully regrowing them at this point might do more harm than good, considering the duress your body has just been through." Yggdrasil gets back up, dusting off the kimono-like robe she's wearing.
I want to go outside... I'll talk to Yggdrasil later, all I want now is to see the sky. I activate Hover, my body lifting around half a meter off the ground, letting me move about without worrying about my missing limbs. I feel weak and slightly nauseous, no wonder considering the circumstances.
My Servants part way to let me pass. Tears still stream down my face, but I don't care. I am alive, and I am purified of the Malice for now.
Once I get outside, my eyes sting from the light, even though the sun is just starting to sink towards the horizon. Fall seems to have come and gone, and I can almost smell the approaching snow in the air. I look forward to seeing how my Domain behaves in regards to the different biomes handling winter.
Settling down onto the chilly grass, I get comfortable before beckoning over the Servants. Now that my head's cleared up a bit, and I'm aware it's coming, I don't mind some snuggles. We end up spending until sundown just sitting in a tight group, the building chill kept at bay by our closeness.