Niana’s eyes flicked open, air rocketing into her lungs as she inhaled her own soul. Lungs reinflating with her consciousness.

  “Liam!” She gasped, reaching for him, her eyes blinked, suddenly realizing her hands and legs were back.

  She wrapped herself around him, flicking each ear, and flexing every digit, making sure all of her was intact. To both their surprise, she was more than intact, from her bones to her skin, everything was tougher, more susceptible to the flow of mana, more sensitive to it. And she was at least six inches taller. With obsidian claws that retracted and unsheathed far more than her previous fingers would have allowed. Liam lifted her, taking the time to stroke her ears as she sobbed into his chest.

  But there were other lives to save, living men and women who deserved a chance. Liam floated across the city to the wall, where men were poking heads out of watchtower windows, seeing their city defended and not believing it. More than that, their Lady lived. The cursed obsidian was now glimmering blue, the color of pure joy. Liam flew without sight, his split minds targeting and healing all across the walls, survivors were pulled from beneath the mountain of dead animals, so long as their soul remained attached to their body, he could restore them. For the only exception was Niana. He continued his flight, healing the insectoid hulks where they lay, and piling all demonic foulness into a pool beyond the city walls. He swept the city twice, then landed at the chapel, where he wrapped Niana in a cloak, and knocked politely at the barriers.

  “Ahem, it’s all clear. Time to dig through the rubble and make sure we didn’t miss anyone.” Said Liam.

  Eyes peered at him, until a gruff voice ripped into the barricade, throwing furniture with all the gusto of a man using power tools.

  “Lady Niana! Are you alright?” Called the axe knight, finding his way to her. He knelt, bowing his head, and giving her new claws an a curious glare.

  “I- I’m not sure…” Said Niana, flexing the new claws before retracting them fully, now mimicking her prior claws. “I feel fine.”

  Liam Squeezed her shoulders, “You are fine, but it would be strange if you didn’t have some nightmares… In fact, I’ll probably have a few nightmares myself. But, Mont St Michel shouldn’t attract anymore monsters, if there are any left in the barony.” Said Liam.

  “Uhm, who are you? Uh, sir.” Asked the knight, who was now joined by the two men at arms who had fought at Niana’s side.

  Their limbs juttted out of once-severed armor, a strange fashion choice, until Liam realized they had lost their arms in the fight.

  “Men of Greenwood, I am Lightning Lord Tufan Biliam Alhusam, and I've come to finish Liam’s mission.”

  Before they could respond the sounds of sprinting beasts echoed through the city. A V formation of hellhounds sprinted through the gates of fire, just ahead of a stampeding hydra. They did not deviate, sprinting directly for Tufan where the pack of wolves skidded to a stop. Flames flicking forward as they surrounded Liam. Two felinid riders lept from mounts, nearly tackling Niana to the floor, while a sabertoothed serval landed on Liam’s shoulders, wrapping herself around his head with overlong limbs and a tail that circumnavigated his head three times before he swatted it.

  “Fluffball.” Muttered Liam.

  “Her dress is ripped open, right in the center. Aren’t you glad I told you to fly.” Said Saryn.

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  “Don’t be smarmy. It makes it hard to agree with you.” Said Liam.

  “Mmmm.” Said Saryn, suddenly looking away.

  Liam recognized that face, and realized it was jealousy, not just jealousy, but deep despair at the fact she was jealous of how much her sisters cared about Niana. How much Saryn cared about Niana.

  He caught her scruff and pulled her head close to his lips. “Don’t let her sleep alone. The nightmares… They’ll be worse than you’ve ever seen. She’ll need love from all her sisters, even odd ones like you. Maybe most off all from the odd ones. Cause she is stretching the categorization of felinid beyond natural limits.” He whispered.

  Saryn bobbed her head once. A silent contract. And Liam wrapped all his daughters in a hug, letting tears of sorrow and joy flow freely. Niana wept loudest of all, at first crying tears of blood, though they soon cleared, and she kissed all her sisters. Holding each one for several moment’s and whispering into their ears, a rite of remembrance that took several minutes. Except for Saryn, who remained in Niana’s arms for the rest of that night.

  “Thank you for saving me.”

  —

  It took two weeks to clear the bodies from Mont St Michel, a period of eerie peace. Nearly a hundred souls had perished during the battle, and Niana’s nightmares were truly a spectacle to behold. For she had not only been reborn, but amalgamated with the wendigo’s summed power. Few beings can claim to fly, and fewer still manage the feat in their sleep, but Niana did, taking a week and a half before she could sleep without Liam watching over her and manipulating her mana. But that was only how they spent their evenings. During the day they built, with paladins turning the entire city to colored glass, and liam stripping the flesh and fusing bones until there was fertile land for ten miles in every direction, and a white tower built atop the chapel. He was careful to keep the chapel a separate structure, and built the tower wide, rising more than a hundred feet into the air, where it concealed a secret that would have made Aldric shit his royal britches.

  A portal. One that rotated slowly within the tower, occupying the entire top floor. But this portal was not made from darkness, no. This portal was as blue as the sapphire walls. And welcomed a single ancient Nymph back into the human world. A manifestation of Pandora’s original form, as a woman, barely of age, with timid eyes, and long locks. Stripped of all the malice and vengeance that had for so long tainted her, now she was as she should be. The goddess of humanity. Enemy of none. Mother of rain.

  “Our deal is fulfilled, keep the peace.” Said Liam, leaving the tower of bones and returning to the chapel below.

  For a tower made of bones, it was a welcoming place. Appearing more like polished ivory, with seamless edges and monolithic construction. At times it seemed too bright, with the sun’s light making the tower glow with warmth. People came and went, exploring the tower until militia stopped them and turned it into a lookout point, at least until Pandora could remodel it to her own specifications. With indoor pools stocked with fish, and a boundless rainforest that seemed to be a dozen acres wide, yet contained within a single floor, not even intruding on the staircase up or down the level.

  Within the chapel, Liam found Niana easily. Simply walking towards the only one whose eyes glowed red in the darkness. A terrifying realization that had spooked them all, but one they were coming to grips with. Her dark side was only complimented by the bone staff she carried, solid white, almost plastic in appearance, except for the shrunken skull of an elk that crowned it, complete with a basket of antlers that wove together and housed a blood red ruby. How that had formed was an enigma, but it held power well enough, and seemed attuned to Niana’s whims, helping to regulate her erratic new powers.

  Saul knelt in front of Niana, “I’m sorry my Lady, I failed to protect you. The city fell because I was too weak–”

  “You should have laid down your life fighting for her.” Said Liam, gently tapping on his ripped pants. “And you would have in another half hour. You did your duty.”

  “I- I don’t feel right, seeing how she screams at night–”

  Liam laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Saul Earthshaper, coward extraordinaire. Learn when to shut up. Otherwise you might convince me that it was a waste of my time and mana healing your deadass. Actually, lets just get repayment for that debt now. Paladin Owen has need of weak priests and earth magi like yourself.”

  “Uh, okay… I mean, yes! Yes sir!” Said Saul, swallowing as Liam dragged him off to Owen’s special classes on powerleveling.

  Lightning Lord Liam Finds His One True- Catgirl?