Lament of the Fallen

As she was standing there observing the activity in the city, Dee could sense some of what was happening behind her inside the temple. She had done her part. Death had removed Nyx’s soul from the Well, and Dee had delivered it to Rahmiel. The Archangel was performing the ceremony within a large cathedral of the light gods, claiming that the holy power gathered within the building would help her perform the ritual. The others were not about to argue to point as they had no idea what would or wouldn’t help. Due to this being a world rather commonly visited by angels, the gate city naturally had a large sanctum dedicated to the light gods. The worlds close to the border with the angels were naturally more inclined towards worshipping the light gods and Lumen and the God of Order Nasir-Sin naturally had a prominent place within the various temples. The reverse also held true near the old border with demons.

While Rahmiel was someone who radiated life, Dee was most definitely a being of death instead, despite the power of life she had gained from the Tree of Life many years ago. As such, both the Archangel and the Goddess of Death herself had advised her not to be present during the ceremony. Apparently her mere presence might cause the whole endeavor to fail. She felt a little bad about not being there for her friend, but a bad feeling like that was not important in the grand scheme of things. At least Moirai and Araqiel were inside the temple, helping with the ritual. Apparently having their memories of Nyx helped in recreating her body.

With how long Nyx had been dead, and the fact that there was no body for the soul to reattach to, the ritual was supposed to take a full ten days to complete. Most of that was spent forming a new body for Nyx. The soul was affixed to a place and the new body slowly grew around that soul, with Moirai’s memories providing some help when the soul’s own memories were too weak to suffice. The other angels were inside providing extra power for Rahmiel since apparently the power consumption of creating a new body for an immortal from scratch was rather steep. Ironically, Dee probably had the most detailed and recent information about Nyx’s body, as well as enough power to share, but her powerful death element made participation impossible.

So she was guarding the temple instead, as she had done for the last nine days. Not that it needed much guarding though she did have to keep the crowds out. Many believers had seen the angels enter the large temple and could sense something large being worked on inside. This brought many reverent believers to pray outside the temple, and the local priests even conducted ceremonies and services in the open. Of course, most of the believers worshipped other light gods as well as Lumen and Nasir-Sin, as they were a lot more varied in their faith than the angels. Still, the presence of the Archangels had inspired new faith in even those that served other deities.

The problem was that there were also a lot of rumors. The angels that were here were all fervent believers in Lumen as well as also being clergy. That’s why they needed asylum in the first place. So they couldn’t help themselves and interacted with the gathered faithful every chance they got. Even Theliel had spent some time with the gathered people. Some of the angels were also unable to stop themselves from revealing certain things that might have been better left unsaid, like the fact that the stern looking woman guarding the temple’s doors was the Champion of both Lumen and Umbra. The news about two Archangels being here had naturally already spread as well. Soon both the higher ups in the Assembly and the angels serving Order would hear about the rumors, assuming they hadn’t already. That was also the main reason Dee was so vigilantly guarding the temple.

Dee gave a small sigh as the local high priest approached her, while the local faithful seemed to be gathering in her direction. She had suspected this might come; she just wasn’t sure how long it would take for them to gather their courage. “Esteemed Champion.” The priest approached while giving a deferent bow. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I would like you to lead us in a service dedicated to Lumen. It would honor our temple greatly to have her Champion do the honors.”

‘Just as expected.’ Dee thought to herself. Dee felt slightly obliged to go along with it. After all, they had been taking over the city’s main temple for over a week and while she wasn’t exactly a fervent servant of the gods, doing something like this was sort of a part of the job. Then a sudden idea occurred to her. The two goddesses had been decidedly less annoying lately, but she still had a few bones to pick with them for everything that had happened before. She hid the grin that was about to form and instead gave a formal nod of agreement.

This of course brought a great deal of joy among the gathered faithful. For the most part, Dee led a very standard ceremony, though the holiness and sheer presence that radiated from her gave the whole thing a bit of extra grandiosity despite the outdoors setting. Despite her irreverence to the deities, Dee was well aware of how to conduct a proper ceremony. She just hadn’t had a reason or inclination to so before now. It wasn’t until later that the whole thing started to take a bit of an odd turn.

Dee started off by telling the gathered people that she understood their confusion about the fact a Champion of Lumen could also be the Champion of Umbra, but that the unique position offered her a perspective and access to certain secrets that other were not privileged to. She slowly started weaving a tragic tale of how the fateful circumstances of their opposing elements and divine politics were tearing apart two sisters that otherwise loved each other greatly. She embellished the whole thing with several completely fabricated stories and anecdotes of how in truth the two sisters were extremely close, and that light and darkness need not be such hostile forces after all. In fact, they could be complementary forces. She also very subtly implied that the love between the two might even have some very un-sisterly qualities to it, but never outright stated it. She wove that detail into the story in such a way that made the listeners believe it but think that it was just something they alone had figured out. That it was actually something hidden from the others because only they could pick up on the subtle hints.

At first the faithful felt a little weird about it, but Dee’s holy and clearly dominating presence was lending her words gravitas that others could not emulate. Besides, she was the Champion of the two goddesses. Surely she had no reason to lie? Surely the two deities would take back their blessing if she told complete untruths about the two goddesses? Surely they would at least send a sign if they were displeased with her words? She was also a rather proficient storyteller. While she didn’t have all that much practice, she had a very captive audience and she had read enough stories herself to know what appealed to people. It also helped that her psionic nature gently influenced everyone present as they could feel her sincerity. And the emotional pathos of her stories tugged at the heartstrings of everyone present, finally ending in the heartfelt crescendo of how the two were tired of being torn apart by the cruel circumstance and how their mutual love had finally lead to the current turmoil between the deities. There wasn’t a dry eye among the faithful as they secretly swore to spread the news and help the two deities fulfill their love.

Dee smirked a bit as she returned back to her post after the whole thing. Time to make the rumors work for her for a change. Rumors had three qualities that Dee was relying on making the situation even juicier. Firstly, the more fantastical or scandalous a rumor was, the quicker it spread. Secondly, the harder someone tried to suppress a particular rumor, the more everyone believed it to be true. And thirdly, the rumors would always grow with each telling. This rumor would enjoy the benefits of all three things nicely, and would likely spread far and wide. As others tried to suppress the rumors, as some surely would, the more people would believe it. She would probably have to conduct another similar ceremony at some point in the future, just to give the rumors that extra push it needed.

She only smirked harder as she noted the horrified look on Theliel’s face as the Archangel stood at the door of the temple. She had obviously been listening for a while. “Well, how was my performance?” Dee asked with a cheery tone.

“YOU!? WHAT?! WHY?! Why would you do something like that?!” The Archangel asked in a voice that somehow managed to be both shrill and quiet at the same time.

“What? You don’t trust the word of the Champion of both gods?” Dee asked a little sarcastically.

“You practically accused the two sister goddesses of having an illicit affair!” Theliel claimed, her tone becoming even more heated and scandalous. Interestingly the Archangel seemed to be blushing just a bit.

“That’s such a negative way of putting it. I’d rather call it the fated, if slightly forbidden, romance that spanned over eons.” Dee actually made a grand sweeping gesture just for emphasis, showing just how much fun she was having with her little act.

“Well, I’m glad to see some things haven’t changed.” Suddenly an amused but slightly feeble sounding voice came from the door of the temple. A voice that Dee recognized.

“Nyx!” She exclaimed with a happy voice. She would have rushed to squeeze the tiny woman, but Nyx looked a bit too frail to withstand that at the moment.

Moirai was helping her mother walk and keeping her standing, as Nyx rather obviously still had difficulties with that part. “Ah, yes, that’s why I was coming to get you. The ritual is finished.” Theliel suddenly stated before she regained her irate demeanor. “And don’t think we’re finished here!” Yet she was considerate enough to note that Dee had no interest in continuing the discussion as she withdrew back inside the temple to plan how to undo the damage Dee had just done. Being impolite in such a situation would have gone against her role as the Archangel of Hope

Rahmiel looked exhausted as she too followed Nyx and Moirai out the door. “How is she?” Dee asked the Archangel.

“I’m right here you know? You could just ask me instead.” Nyx pointed out rather snappishly, and was promptly ignored by everyone.

“She’s extremely weak at the moment. While we managed to restore her body to roughly what it used to be and she managed to retain her status as an immortal, her body is completely drained of power. Usually, an immortal’s body is constantly suffused with power over the years, strengthening it immensely. As a result, while her body is theoretically the same now as before, it will take a long time to truly regain her old strength as her whole body needs to soak in that power once more. And when I say a long time, I mean it. It might take years. On the short term, she will at best be able to exhibit the strength of a fresh immortal, though for the next few weeks at least she will be as weak as a kitten, as you can see. I’d recommend full rest, though with the current situation being what it is, that might be a little challenging.” Rahmiel explained rather directly.

“I sense an ‘and’.” Dee stated a bit grimly.

“While I retained my status as an immortal, I likely regressed at least back to rank eleven. My memory is also a little shaky.” Nyx was the one to reply with an exasperated tone. “I barely remember the last ten or so years, and anything before that is almost blank. I'm told it will slowly return, but it might never do so entirely. I also don’t remember my death or anything after that at all.”

She gave Dee a judgmental glance. “Though it seems that being near you like this is giving me the shivers. From what I hear, I’ve been a resident at your Domain since I died so that’s probably why. Or it might be a whole different type of shivers altogether.” Her judgmental glance turned into a slightly playful smile that quickly faded and was replaced by a thoughtful one.

Moirai rolled her eyes and Rahmiel gave a demure cough before continuing. “Well, I should probably also add that while I fixed any damage to her soul, the repairs might not be entirely perfect. You might note some changes. Some of the effects might only show after some time. It is also likely that spending so much time inside your Domain might have some effects that only appear with time, though I can’t comment on what those effects might end up being.” She made another, more careful cough this time. “There’s also another thing. As her soul was just joined with a new body, it might be better if the two of you spend some time separated, as I understand you draw souls to yourself. Just enough time for the soul and the body to combine properly. Say, a few months perhaps?”

Dee wasn’t happy about it, not at all. First she couldn’t take part in the ceremony, and now she was a danger to Nyx? But she tried to hide her unhappiness. After all, her friend had just come back to life! That trumped any momentary concerns. “Well, we have to deal with the issue of getting you an Asylum anyway. It might be better if we traveled to the White City. Once we get there all of you can be safe while I try to finagle my part of the deal. I can also give you some distance while that is going on.”

“Can we manage it though? From what I hear, the dragons have pushed in pretty far and the battles might have come between the Assembly capital world and us already. Besides, with us spending such a long time here, it seems likely that Empyrean has sent some forces after us. We can’t travel too hard with Nyx’s condition. ” Rahmiel pointed out a little wary.

“Let’s see, we have a rank thirteen, two Archangels and a gaggle of high ranking angels that the dragons most likely don’t want to attack. Yeah, I think we can manage even with Moirai and Araqiel focused on protecting Nyx. If push comes to shove, I might be able to provide an alternative route.” Dee shrugged. She almost wished some angels were stupid enough to attack her. She needed to de-stress. Starting the rumors about Lumen and Umbra had been a nice start, but she really needed to kill something.

--------

The group did eventually run into the Dragonflight forces while traveling, although the enemy resistance was rather minor all things considered. According to the news they managed to gather, the Assembly had managed to mostly contain the enemy attack and only scattered raiding parties had managed to slip through gates that were not guarded by forts. Those raiding parties were not even attempting to cause large-scale damage and were mostly just trying to force the Assembly into sending an oversized response to properly contain them. None of the raiding parties actually got to the core worlds surrounding the White City, and while Dee’s group was closer to the hostilities than they were comfortable with, they were still closer to the border with the angels and only ran into one raiding party.

As Dee dealt with the Dragonflight forces, Moirai was filling Nyx in on everything that had happened after her death and during the times where Nyx’s memory was spotty. “I want to ask you a question.” Nyx suddenly interrupted as they got to the point where Dee had agreed to help the angels get asylum.

“Ask away. I’ll be happy to clarify anything you’d like.” Moirai replied.

“Well, first I’d like to make a slight confession. When I said I don’t remember anything from the time I was dead, I wasn’t entirely honest. I don’t actually remember anything concrete, but I do remember some impressions and emotions. To say that Dee’s Domain is dominating would be an understatement. I got a firsthand feel of that during my time. Yet Dee seems oddly susceptible to being pushed into some things. I get that she promised the angels asylum in exchange for my return, and I appreciate that. Yet according to what you said, she seemed likely to agree even before that possibility came up. That seems contradictory with her Domain.” Nyx had actually pushed Dee into certain things herself, although she’d had the best interest of the Five Winds in mind at the time.

Moirai was quiet for a fairly long time, considering Nyx’s words. “In the end, I think it’s due to two facts. One of them is that while yes, Dee tends to be somewhat dominating and doesn’t want to bend to the wills of others, her Domain and totem are more of an indication of her ultimate desires than her current personality. Her personality is not unyielding as one would assume at first glance. She can make compromises that will help her toward that ultimate goal.”

“And the other thing?” Nyx asked. The first point made sense in her mind. She had her own thoughts on the subject but wanted to hear what Moirai had in mind.

“The second thing is that Dee is capable of losing.” Moirai said with a slight smile.

“That…doesn’t sound right. From what I know and from what you’ve told me, she hasn’t done much losing lately.” Nyx pointed out with a frown.

Moirai let out a small giggle. “Not in battle certainly. Though even in battle she has the mentality that allows her to retreat and return stronger to take revenge. No, what I mean is that she doesn’t have the mentality that would make it intolerable for her to lose in a social context. It’s a flaw in temperament that many powerful people have, especially in battle, but I suppose that particular flaw was something that was beaten out of her when she was at the mercy of the assassins. Many people would do anything just to avoid losing and become angry or agitated if that seems to be likely to become a reality. They will take extreme and even foolish measures to avoid losing, often unknowingly conceding the war just to win a single battle. This is not a fault that Dee shares. While she is unwilling to submit to the will of others, she will give up a metaphorical arm to win the larger war.”

Moirai thought for a bit further and Nyx didn’t rush her either. “From what I understand her dominating personality does make it hard for her to just give in, but she will often acquiesce to a trade of favors or a later revenge. She will even swallow a one-sided trade if it serves her ultimate goals. Or if a friend asks her. That’s what I mean when I said she knows how to lose. To her, a single lost battle is not a big deal, as only the end goal is what matters.”

Nyx considered the answer and finally nodded. “I think you’re right. Since we are on the subject of her nature, I hope you do realize that she is not a good person.”

Moirai gave her mother an incredulous stare. “Weren’t you the one that said that sometimes the abstract notions of goodness have to give way to practical considerations? I seem to recall several occasions where you tried to…shall we say push me towards becoming less ‘good’ as others would call it.”

This time it was Nyx’s turn to chuckle. “That’s fair, and not what I meant. None of us is perfect. It’s just that you’ve left the Five Winds behind and thrown your lot with her, so I want you to have no illusions about who she is. I’ve been privy to some of her nature lately, and I can tell you that it can be somewhat darker than you might think. Now I don’t want you to think I’m judging her. She is what she is, and I realized that almost as soon as we got acquainted. People who can get things done no matter what are highly useful. It’s just that her actions towards her friends are a lot different than how she acts with others and that might give you the wrong picture.”

“Isn’t that something that applies to everyone?” Moirai asked a little confused.

“Yes, but there’s a difference here. It might be better if I approached this another way. If you haven’t spent time within her Domain, it’s hard to understand just how little she cares for those that are not close to her. Now that is not uncommon with demons, and with her upbringing, I wouldn’t expect anything else. But you need to realize that pretty much the only thing limiting her actions is what you and maybe Faylen might think of her if she did something horrible. She’s not evil by any means, or at least I don’t think so, but there’s a fundamental coldness inside her. She wouldn’t kill a large number of innocent people, partly because you would frown on that, but she wouldn’t feel all that bad watching it happen either. Not like you or I would. I just want you to be aware of that.” Nyx was quiet for a while before continuing with a small frown. “And I think that same might now apply to me to an extent as well. I think that’s one of the effects Rahmiel mentioned. I just can’t think of others in quite the same way as I used to.”

The two were once again quiet for a while. “That seems to make you sad though. So those feelings are not entirely lost.” Moirai finally pointed out.

“True, I’ve not reached the level she has. I’m just slightly afraid of what else might have changed.” Nyx finally replied with a sigh.