The lightning rippled and crackled, its many branches reaching for things to destroy. The force of its power slammed the barrier, the mages who created it screamed and turned to dust.

The crowd was fixated in horror at power, for if not contained, it would destroy everyone here. Hundreds of thousands would die.

But they couldn't scream or panic. Their eyes were drawn to the slender figure that now raced for the heart of power, a tiny speck in front of a tidal wave. She was going towards it without fear or hesitation.

Cybelline felt its beckoning power. She heard the ancient call and knew, in that moment, it would not hurt her. She dove headfirst, knowing that it would not hurt her.

The lightning crackled and engulfed her, it was a powerful embrace and she fell into the center of its power.

Upon her touch, time frozen. The world froze for a millisecond and Cybelline felt the familiar feeling of being transported to another dimension. In that millisecond, only she had mobility and agency.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a little alcove. A woman in white sat by a little well, she stared at the well, humming absentmindedly. Her hair was a pale gold, the tresses falling to her feet. Her skin a lovely alabaster and her eyes like sapphires.

On her back were two large white wings. No. They were no longer wings. For they were in tatters, barely held together.

The woman began to sing again, her voice echoing in the little place.

On lonely branch the bloom did fall

To love a river who cared naught

And give and give and give their all

Only to watch the river flow away, all their love forgot.

Her voice was lovely and seemed to have soothing effects on the soul. She looked up to see a strange girl staring back at her.

"Are you here to relieve me of my burden?" The woman looked intently at Cybelline. She smiled, "Come closer, young hero."

Cybelline felt no danger from this lovely porcelain of a figure. Cybelline came closer and examined the fae who sat in front of her.

She was covered in spider thin cracks. Like a true aged porcelain doll. These were not like scars of the flesh, for they seemed to have reached the depth of her bones.

The woman saw Cybelline's stare and smiled sadly, "I am glad to have met you. If you had come another ten years later, I fear that I wouldn't have been able to greet you." She gestured to herself, "These are cracks on my soul."

"What does that mean?"

"Only the greatest of sinners have these marks upon them." Alyena said sweetly, her eyes were dreamy and her voice without a hint of remorse, "Only those who have committed unforgivable crimes."

She stood up, "I am Alyena. Lady of the Light Elves and Fae. Second Lieutenant to the great Queen Titania."

"You were in the war between humans and elves."

Alyena looked at her curiously, "You know of the war?" She sighed, "That was so long ago."

"What crimes did you commit?" Cybelline asked, she had a feeling that this woman would float away and disappear in a moment.

For a moment, the dreamlike quality disappeared and the harsh look of hatred seemed to permeate the being. Cybelline frowned and reached for her knife. Was this the true nature of Alyena?

"There was a race of elementals called the Shadows. They should have have existed. Theirs was a magic that was not given by our queen. They were a threat" Alyena said coolly, "I merely destroyed them."

How easily she said all of this, as if destroying a race people was a simple task.

Cybelline frowned, "When did this happen?"

"A hundred years before the war between human and fae." Alyena said thoughtlessly.

Cybelline was suddenly reminded of the purple smoke that had entered Kyria's body. What if whatever had entered her body had not been Fae or Folk magic? What if....

Cybelline suddenly frowned, "And then?"

"I took our light magic and hid myself, I have been waiting for the one to avenge the wrongs. You must destroy everyone who has wronged us!" Her eyes seemed to gleam with the light of revenge.

Cybelline took a deep breath, "I need a minute."

"Do you tire? Are you not the champion of the Fae and Folk?" Alyena asked, puzzled.

"No, right now I'm just annoyed." Cybelline snapped. She walked out of the alcove, thinking about the events that had happened all those years ago.

The fae attacked the Shadow people. The Fae attacked the humans. And then the fae fell from grace when their queen died.

How much more of the story did she not know?

Was a race like this really worth saving?

She looked back at the once beautiful fae who was now covered in a web of ugly scars. She walked back to the alcove. She hated the destruction of innocents. And yet it seemed like everyone in this world tested her patience.

She wanted Alyena to understand just how wrong she had been.

"You must have lived an exhausting life." Cybelline said quietly, "To be hating everything and everyone. To destroy an entire people just because you think that they weren't made to your image."

"I acted in accordance to how I am made, I have no regrets." Her voice was light once more, "I did what was right."

Cybelline frowned and gestured her to broken body, "But clearly everything about you screams that you did something wrong." Cybelline shook her head, "You destroyed a people. Then the humans destroyed your people. I'm sure it was all a coincidence that had nothing to do with you."

The silence between them was louder than roaring thunder. Alyena had never thought about the progression of events, she had thought that she was a righteous warrior. Hadn't Leonmithas warned her? But what had she done? Ignored him and Solara.

"Ophea was a friend of yours, wasn't she?" Cybelline said her voice certain, "She probably convinced you that the humans were a threat. You did her dirty work."

"I..." The cracks in the veneer were began to glow even darker, her voice was now hoarse, "I was wrong? No. No. No. I couldn't have been." She shook her head violently. She knew what those cracks on her soul meant, but it did not mean she had committed any wrongdoing.

"You know, I'm starting to think that the fae and folk were really out to get themselves." Cybelline's contempt was obvious, "This world was destroyed by the self-righteousness of the few."

Alyena looked stunned for a moment, and then examined herself closely, "The self-righteousness of the few..."

Suddenly she began to laugh. Loudly and freely. It was someone whose spirit had been oppressed for many, many years and finally, understood where she went wrong.

She had been self righteous. She had been stubborn. Those words hammered at her heart as she thought about the bloodshed that had happened.

Tears of blood ran down her face. Red as ruby and tasting bitterly of regret.

She stood, "You're right, I used to think that when you showed up, I could convince you to take up the cause and return the Fae and Folk to their glory. But now." She smiled sadly, "It's not up to me. It's time that I take my punishment."

Cybelline looked down at the moonstone that glowed in her hand, faded and became another stone on her bracelet. Alyena smiled, "I entrusted my people to Leonmithas. If you can find them, please help me return them to their homes?"

Her eyes looked dreamy, "Our land really was beautiful. I wonder what happened."

"Its been destroyed, nothing can live in it. The fae and folk are in hiding, your home is now called the shadow lands."

Alyena looked stunned, "The shadow lands?" Then had she not killed everyone of them? Had something escaped? She shuddered and did not want to think further. If the shadow people had escaped, then what had happened made sense.

"I am so very sorry." Alyena whispered.

Cybelline looked at the broken doll, "I am not the one you need to ask for forgiveness from."

Alyena had not expected that answer. But then, it made sense to her. What she did was unforgivable and she had held onto this hatred for so very long. She didn't deserve forgiveness.

"What will happen to you?"

Alyena smiled sadly, "If I was a normal fae then I could perhaps have been reborn as a stalk of grass or a blossom in our homeland. But I am a sinner."

"When our souls have been shattered and broken, we will never be anything. A living consciousness torn apart over and over again until the winds of time erode us into nothingness. The ultimate punishment for the ultimate sin."

Cybelline said nothing. She did not know what to say. Each creature had their own path and Alyena was finally facing the consequences of her actions.

She looked at Cybelline, her eyes a little sad, her figure a little broken, "There was a man, Leonmithas, who meant a lot to me....Can you tell him that I was so very wrong, and to ask him to forget me?"

She had no right to ask for forgiveness. But perhaps he could forget her. If he was still alive.

Cybelline sighed and nodded.

Alyena closed her eyes as piece by piece, she began to disappear. The tears of blood covered her face as she crumbled into nothingness.

Cybelline felt the disappearance of that mysterious place as she was thrown back into the arena. Time started again.

In that instant the magic of the white mages became hers. In the river of power, another one of the ones that had been untamed, quieted down from the roar of a waterfall to a calm river. The pain in her body lessened. Six powers, six uncontrollable powers that kept her in constant battle. Another one merged with her body.