The heroes that gathered in the great hall were riddled with mixed emotions and uncertainty. They had just broken into the most dangerous prison on the face of Arawyn and freed the greatest force of evil. Her name was Miranda, and upon her release she had made one demand, “Bring me to my sister.”
Myrinod, the Weave prison, was truly a challenge to break into, though the heroes of Travance had inside help. They worked hard, exhausted every resource, explored every avenue, and fine-tuned their plan to perfection until the moment that it was to be enacted. During this controversial breakout, other interesting events occurred. Two dragon eggs were rescued from a stasis they had been in for countless ages. The nature of these eggs were largely unknown, but having been removed, they were now being kept under the watchful eye of the Count and the Baron until a plan could be devised for them.
If any who felt displeasure with the breakout had to find some semblance of good in all of this, it would be the release of the Pentir Knights, an ancient order of spellswords sworn to protect the Weave prison. The Pentir Knights had spent centuries trapped in a crown worn by the dark queen of Evernight and forced to do her vile bidding as undead. In one enormous passing of fate, all of that evil was unmade and their curse finally broken. The ancient magic on the prison was stronger than the queen of Evernight’s dark spell. Somewhere in that dark land, the crown shattered into dust as the Pentir were restored completely and summoned to the final prison in which Miranda resided. Powerful allies to the side of light and magic had been restored to their rightful glory.
To the minds of some, a myriad of events had taken place: good, evil, uncertainty, preservation, and determination. In the great hall of the Dragon’s Claw Inn, they waited to see what would unfold.
Silence fell over the crowd as Fiona, the embodiment of Good, entered the room. Her eyes glanced around for a face she had not seen in nearly a millennia. Hope, love, and remorse filled her heart. She turned slowly as she sensed her sister’s gaze upon her. “Oh sister, I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”
The dark figure draped across the grand chair did not share her sentiment. Her eyebrow quirked, a sneer spread across her shadowed face. “Oh? How convenient that must be now that you need me! I don’t need your feigned compassion. At least you slept and dreamed all this time. Far better, I think, than being a prisoner trapped in a cage.”
“I did what I thought was right; I did what I felt was the right choice for this world, to keep it safe.” Fiona’s gaze fell in sadness. “We can help these people, but I can’t do it without you. I need you.” Her eyes fixed again on her sister, optimistic.
Miranda stood slowly, calculatingly, iron crown glinting upon her dark hair.
“We can indeed. These precious sheep will be of no use to anyone dead. You can be sure that I will do my part to prevent that. Now show me the monolith.”
The whole of the town walked with the two sisters as they made their way outside to the stone prison. “They followed the specifications I’d written in my journal.” Fiona said, circling the tall standing stone, her eyes not leaving her sister. “They did well. But I told them it wasn’t complete. Not without you. It needs you.” She paused. “I need you.”
There was a flicker of an eyeroll from Miranda at her sister’s sickeningly sweet comments, but, after a moment of hesitation, she held out her hand. “Enough of it, let’s begin.”
Fiona grabbed her sister’s hand for the first time in over a thousand years, a smile across her face, a burden relieved from her shoulders. Together they turned, hand in hand, just as they had played as children when the world was simpler. They walked to the stone, and in unison, the sisters reached out their free hands to lay them upon it. The monolith flashed with a great and blinding light, and the area fell absolutely pitch dark for many moments until the moon finally restored some light to the scene.
Miranda squeezed Fiona’s hand, ever so slightly and nearly tenderly, the first sign of sisterly devotion she’d shown since their reunion. Together, they faced the gathered crowd.
“What next?” The Baron asked, addressing the two.
Fiona smiled and replied, “You fight the Nulls, you defeat them, and you trap them. Our power is foreign to the creators, and so, their Nulls will be severely weakened while in our presence. They still cannot be killed, but they can be defeated and contained. I know that you have all been through much, but it is almost over. You are all so brave to have endured for this for so long. It is a testament to your greatness and your strength. I have much faith in every one of you.”
The next few days that passed seemed at times surreal. The sisters of good and evil were seen frequently around town. Sometimes together, sometimes separate. Notices began to be posted around Travance Proper instructing the common folk that they would have to evacuate within a few weeks time, followed by specific instructions on how to do so. Many of the heroes were returning to their lands to make final preparations with their friends and loved ones while others choose to just stay in the Proper until the Nulls would arrive. Some marveled and rallied at the sightings of Fiona and Miranda, and some put their faith in themselves and their friends instead. The air was thick with uncertainty, but the heroes of Travance wore a resolve to see this through, a determination to survive. Within one months time... the Null would be upon them.
