Cybelline looked at the giant block of ice and the darkening sky.

FLASH. Lightning crackled onto the earth. Cybelline looked up at the sky, at the thunder clouds and frowned. As if they got a signal, the clouds began to scurry away.

Cybelline walked through the field of ice, toward the giant ball of ice. She brushed off the tendrils of icy air as if they were nothing and stood in front of the frozen bird.

She placed a slender hand on the ice in front of her. Oqir held his breath, just what was this dark fae going to do?

"You are making a lot of noise. Hush" She told the ice block.

The bird trapped in the ice could only move its head slightly. Cybelline closed her eyes and felt the magic within the ice. It stung, its blue aura much like the vein of blue magic in her body. She felt another, less friendly magic. It was grey and ate away at the blue magic like rot and mold. Cybelline could feel the blue magic becoming weaker and weaker as the grey magic spread.

Moldy magic? Was this what made the bird look so gross since she's seen it? It was like a poison with sentience. Gently, wrapping her hand in light magic, she touched it. The grey magic enjoyed the light magic and ate it.

Cybelline tried with her fire magic as well, but the same results happened.

Amongst the magic she could control, each one seemed to feed the grey magic. This was not like the magic she had in herself. It was boundless hunger, it only wanted to gorge and feed on the magic of others, ate until nothing was left.

None of the magic she had subdued worked on this. The tendrils of grey magic attacked hers again. Instinctively Cybelline thought of the shield magic she had seen long ago.

Light and Fire magic raced to form a protective shield around her. It did not matter, as the grey magic ate away at the shield, strengthening itself in the process. It attacked the shield and the ice at the same time.

Cybelline struggled against the grey magic that now encased the ice, it was slick and oily like, a thousand little pinchers sinking into the combined water, light, and fire magic and devouring it. It seemed to enjoy the taste.

Faster and faster it ate away at the ice ball, little cracks of forming as the grey magic put pressure on the shield the bird had placed around itself.

A few brave dwarves and fire fae came forward, armed with their own magic. But before they could do anything, the grey mattered had swallowed them whole.

Kima turned to Oqir, "What is that thing?"

"We don't know. All we know is that it has been devouring the sanity and form of the Fae trapped in the ice. In the thousands of years, we have thrown every magic we had, fire, light, water, earth. It has eaten every type." Oqir said his face a mask a despair.

Kima ordered her people, "Fall back! It'll eat you alive. She has more magic that all of us combined. If she can't save Leonmithas, none of us can."

Mighty rivers of magic that existed to sustain this land in the ring flowed through her as she felt the magic in the grey matter delight in devouring the Source. The gems had refined her power so much so it was easy for the grey matter to suck it out of her. Cybelline cursed.

Taking a deep breath, she studied the magic being taken from her. Light, fire was disappearing faster and faster. Cybelline felt a tightness in her chest as her control on her magic loosened. In the turmoil, the grey magic seemed to sink its claws in the earth, green, and water magic. Cybelline felt pain course throughout her bodied. She struggled to regain control.

Cybelline forced the magics back to their proper places, the corruption driven back by her will power. Suddenly she saw that there was one magic that the grey matter would not touch.

Dark magic, it seemed to be wholly untouched. Cybelline hesitated.

Magic without the control that the gems gave her could have catastrophic consequences. Will she be able to force the dark magic under her control? She had always wondered how much of the massive power in her own body she could handle. In some ways, it was not something she had wanted to find out.

A shriek from the ice encased bird brought her back to the present. She gritted her teeth, she had to try. It was that or death for them both.

She called the dark magic to her, it came as if a child at the beckoning of his mother. Cybelline looked at the dark magic coursing through her fingers and knew that even without a gem, it would be hers to command. This was the magic that had saved her in the first place, this was the magic that she had been with, it had never been part of the Source. This was the seed magic.

She laughed, the dark magic in her expanded until it flowed in her veins like powerful rivers. She knew that she had been worried for nothing, for this magic would not fight her. It was her.

She flew up into the air, her hair dancing wildly in the winds that only she controlled.

In her hand held a shield made of Dark magic. Cybelline broke free of the grey matter that had sank itself into her flesh. She pointed to the grey matter, "Dark Fyre, burn."

Fire that flowed like water rushed out of her shield as chased hungrily after the grey matter and in a few moments, there was nothing but fine ash .

With all traces of the grey matter gone, there only remained the giant ball of ice.

"Awaken." At her command, the ice cracked and became snow.

Blue light, purer than the most glacial blue, shown in that instant. The blacked, ugly bird was no where to be seen, instead a large creature of unimaginable majesty spread its icy blue wings. Feathers that seemed to be made of diamonds shone under the sun. It opened its beak and a sprout of blue water shot into the sky. The tale feathers were as long as its body, floating in the air as if bouyed by some invisible force.

The pixies rose into the air once more, their chime like singing rang as they flew around the bird made of water and ice.

"Leonmithas, prince of water and air, the First Blood Fae and the ruling descendant of the ancient race, the Ice Phoenix." Oqir called out gently, "Welcome back, old friend."

The bird closed its eyes and the blue light glowed once more. His giant form became smaller and smaller until a man of six foot stood in front of them.

In the middle of the snow was an elf of extraordinary appearance. He looked as if he was carved of ice and snow rather than flesh. His eyes were an icy blue set on a youthful face of radiant, otherworldly beauty. The wings of diamond had not yet disappeared from his back, and Cybelline was reminded of the angels she had seen in the Sistine chapel, heralding the days of glory in those magnificent halls.

Leonmithas looked up at the Dark Fae who floated above him, and felt his heart stop at the image.

She did not know that the moment she held onto the seed of dark fae magic a transformation had occurred outside. Her wings grew and grew, the intricate patterns of dark and light dancing with each other, glittering like the stained glass windows of ancient churches.

Her fiery red hair tumbled around a face of intense concentration, decorated by eyes that only the Gods could have created. Leonmithas had seen beauty but it was the first time that he had ever feel such beauty affect him.

Her power was such that the fae knew without a doubt what she was. For only the most powerful fae could have such wings.

But what he had did next shocked the entirety of the fae. Gently, deliberately, he placed his hand over his heart and bowed, "Dark Queen. My Queen."

He was the highest commanding general and a Prince of the Light Court. He was the leader that they looked to when their Queen had died. Had they ever dreamt of the day in which a Prince of Light would bow to the a Fae of Darkness? And bow he did, here, their prince seemed to be offering his all to the fae in the air. He was swearing fealty.

Oqir and Arlain looked at each other and saw the truth in their eyes. The placed their hand over their heart, "Dark Queen. My Queen."

Cybelline turned around and saw that one by one, the fae, dwarves, and pixies all bowed to her.

She looked at Leonmithas, "I appreciate the gesture, but if you don't get up and rest, you'll probably faint. Actually you should have fainted about ten seconds ago."

"My queen..." Leonmithas said once more. But Cybelline shook her head, "It's just Cybelline. And if you don't get up and get yourself to a bed, I'll turn you back to a giant, ugly bird."

Thump. Leonmithas crumpled to the ground, his weakened body unable to withstand the stress of a thousand years in captivity. The blue gem he held in his hand rolled to the earth.

Sighing, Cybelline landed gently beside the sleeping elf. She picked up the gem and gently placed it on her bracelet. Another power controlled, another gem found. Cybelline looked down at the man in front of her and rolled her eyes.

She grabbed his collar and was about to drag him along the ground when..

"Ahem."

Cybelline looked up into the disapproving faces of Arlain and Oqir. While they said nothing, there was a clear look of horror as they realized that she would have dragged their celebrated general face down through the dirt and grass if they did not stop her.

Cybelline smiled awkwardly, and picked up the six foot tall elf. Sighing, she princess carried him to the cottage, "The next person I rescue I'm going to start charging money."

For some reason, a familiar face popped up in her head. "And " Cybelline said to herself as she walked up the hill, "If it's that damn Killian, I'll charge triple."