UE Rewrite: B5 — 7. Convergence

PoV: 1. Elinor (Our Lich Empress!) 2. Butter (Our High Queen of the Evening Star!) 3. Elinor Undying Empire Index Previous Chapter Inline Ed

PoV:

1. Elinor (Our Lich Empress!)

2. Butter (Our High Queen of the Evening Star!)

3. Elinor

Undying Empire Index

Previous Chapter

Inline Edits

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The emerald smoke writhed across the death-soaked earth, tendrils of necrotic mist rising from cracks in the blackened soil. Elinor stood at the epicenter of the expanding decay, her very clothes decaying into dust. She didn’t flinch at the malevolent hunger beneath her feet.

“Empress?” Theresa inquired with a tight tone. “We didn’t bring any extra pair of clothes.”

No, we did not… How rude. She huffed, placing a hand on her hip and scanning the veil of death as her butterflies soaked in a seemingly endless field. It’s no guarantee this won’t mutate into something new or erode Camellia’s silk. Tempest, take Theresa higher and wait for my signal.

He immediately complied, tail slapping the ground again as he let out a majestic cry and launched into the sky.

Through the Nexus, she could feel Theresa’s controlled fear as her head maid observed from the wyvern’s back, electromagnetic organs sparking with agitation at the raw death energy saturating the air. The creature’s golden eyes tracked the movements of the mist with predatory wariness from above, using his wings to disperse it from around her on instinct.

Now, why would my little sister be hiding this from me?

Elinor flexed her fingers, feeling the familiar burn of her Death Pool responding to the concentration of power surrounding them. The gusts billowed around her, green flames danced along her arms, and a dozen jade butterflies flapped around her in the gale. Their wings cut through the thick atmosphere as they began to feed on the abundant energy.

The mist reacted immediately, surging back in toward her like a starving animal scenting fresh meat. But instead of the mindless hunger she’d initially examined, she sensed something more—a primitive intelligence lurking within the roiling darkness.

“Fascinating,” she murmured aloud, watching the patterns in the smoke shift from random swirls to deliberate, probing movements. “You’re not just leftover energy, are you? How did Butter get all those humans around you? A life prison you eventually ate through?”

The last of her outfit disintegrated, yet she remained unfazed, studying the reaction her presence brought. It seemed to pause at her words, the mist coiling back on itself as if considering her presence more carefully. A square mile of once-lush susime territory was now reduced to ash, with the circle of devastation growing larger by the minute.

“What is it doing, Empress?”

Testing me. Uncertain as to why I’m immune to its radial effects. What happens when I bite back? It’s slowly realizing I’m actually feeding off it… I won’t even need Ash’s gathered Death Energy when I return.

[Death Pool: 1,002/1,453]

And what if I start ramping up the drain? What then…

Her butterflies blazed like stars, the fire along her arms intensifying.

[Death Pool: 1,052/1,453]

The response was immediate and visceral. The emerald smoke recoiled as if slapped, pulling back from her butterflies before surging forward with renewed hunger, trying to steal back what she was gathering. She felt something new from it: rage.

Something caught between animal instinct and corrupted Intelligence.

Well, this is new, she mused, watching the mist swirl around her in increasingly agitated patterns, drawing upon her butterflies. Unfortunately for it, [Life Tap IV], combined with her many agents feeding, made it impossible to fight. You’re something that thinks… Poorly, yes, but you think.

The Death Energy withdrew momentarily before a wave of concentrated death energy slammed into her, enough raw necrotic force to wither an entire forest. Yet, Elinor merely opened herself to it completely, her soul drinking in the power like a desert absorbing rain. Her phylactery blazed with green fire as it poured into her reserves.

Even an animal should realize when its attacks are not effective…but you have an entire valley of life to feed from with no natural predators. I suppose this is a first for you. That’s enough experimentation. Tempest…

[Death Pool: 1,450/1,453]

“You’ve been very generous,” she called out, her voice carrying across the expanding circle of decay as it began to solidify. “But I think we’ve learned enough about each other for now… Don’t be angry with me.”

Her chains split through space, the sound of clanking chains filling the death-laced air. Connecting to her palm, anchoring her soul, it ripped her into the air, flying right toward the wyvern.

A disembodied growl followed, tendrils of mist rising to latch onto her bare ankles, yet a single butterfly landed on the base, disrupting it. Her smile grew as a massive, alligator-like face emerged from within, flaming eyes aimed directly at her.

It seems my presence hastened your efforts to take a corporal form. A torlim, hmm? Mika is likely connected to this in some fashion. Butter, what story will you craft for me? she thought with dark amusement as she sent two more chains to anchor herself to her wyvern. I think I can use you… So, consume the valley, deathling. Make yourself a proper threat. I’ll be back for the harvest.

Air buffering her naked frame, Tempest carried them into the air, where they could see the entity below, pulsing with frustrated hunger. She took her place in her seat as the wyvern slowed to hover in the air.

The torlim was already turning its attention back to the abundant Life Energy surrounding it. The circle of decay was expanding faster now, feeding on everything within reach.

Perfect, she mused. A self-concentrating Death Energy reserve. How considerate.

“Empress,” the head maid whispered, scanning the growing emerald mists, “that thing is going to consume the entire valley within weeks at this rate.”

And that is a bad thing? Elinor chuckled, directing Tempest toward a high ridge that overlooked the susime territory. Better to have all that power concentrated in one place than scattered and lost. We have a boss fight developing for a future bonding exercise with my sister. 

They settled on the rocky outcrop, and Elinor’s smile tilted into a smirk upon looking to the north. She felt a familiar presence that had altered her course. Even at this distance, Butter’s distinctive presence in the Nexus was unmistakable—brilliant, chaotic, and moving fast.

You didn’t think I’d get here before you had a chance to figure out a way to tell me, did you, little sister? I bet you’re panicking. Just like how you told me about the 100,000 corpses in a letter, you haven’t been totally honest with me. I look forward to seeing you squirm.

Dismounting to stand atop the ridge without a hint of shame, she sent Tempest higher up the ridge with instructions to remain hidden. Her sister deserved a proper surprise when it came to their new dragon mount.

Theresa’s tight lips and shifting gaze made it clear she was uncomfortable with her current apparel. “Empress…the High Queen will have male soldiers piloting the helicopter.”

You noticed her approaching, but I suppose she isn’t trying to hide, Elinor chortled. She’ll notice it in time and direct them appropriately.

The helicopter’s rotors chopped through the night air, the sound carrying clearly across the ridge in the crisp darkness. To Elinor’s enhanced vision, the alien heavens painted everything in sharp detail, as clear as midday to her undead senses.

She could see Butter studying the expanding circle of death below, her twin’s aquamarine eyes reflecting the ambient light as she tracked the entity's growth. Even from this distance, Elinor could sense her sister's tension through the Nexus—guilt and apprehension radiating like heat.

Right on schedule.

Watching the aircraft maintain its cautious distance from the house-sized shadow pulsing at the valley’s center, she watched the flight crew take her sister in a large circle around it. Not five minutes later, they were descending to land a distance away, on a flat rocky shelf.

See, she could see I was naked, Elinor approved. Adoncia is with her.

“Hopefully, with extra clothes,” Theresa sighed. “I should have been more prepared. You…have a habit of destroying your outfits, Empress.”

You don’t say? I suppose I am fairly dismissive of my body, since I can reform it whenever I care to. She laughed, reflecting on the sleeve that had been taken off by the mutant creature. That outfit was ruined anyway.

The helicopter touched down on a flat section of the ridge, and Elinor felt a familiar spike of anticipation. Time for answers—and for her sister to discover just how much she'd already figured out.

Doors sliding open, only two figures exited. Butter’s natural glow illuminated the metal sides, golden hair whipping in the rotor wash as she moved with practiced elegance. Even in the darkness, her Earth fashion was impeccable—a flowing summer dress in shades of gold and cream that caught the starlight beautifully.

Every time I see you, sister, you’re showing off a new outfit, Elinor greeted through the Nexus with fond amusement. Surprised to see me?

“You could say that, and I thought I was the provocative one,” Butter returned with a bright smile, a skip in her step, and hands held behind her back. “What happened to your clothes?”

Decayed.

“Of course they did! You…went into that death storm, hmm? Damn… I was hoping to have a bit more time to explain myself,” she sighed with dramatic emphasis. “Anyway, I can sense a new undead in the Nexus nearby. What surprise do you have for me?”

Oh, not as big of a surprise as you gave me… she casually noted. Don’t think I’ll reveal mine until you do yours.

“Fair. Fair… I have been a tad evasive as of late,” she admitted with a sad tilt of her head toward the death torlim. “It’s more difficult to talk about than I’d like to confess…”

Elinor’s smile fell slightly from that response, her vision drifting to Adoncia, emerging from the aircraft carrying what appeared to be a bundle of fabric.

The fact that her proud, glamorous little sister had actually stated that she was having a challenging time wasn’t casual but something she’d never expected to hear—a cry for help.

It was so surprising that Elinor couldn’t even appreciate how much Adoncia had grown since they’d left; her movements carried the confidence of someone who had proven herself in real combat. She made a mental note to check everyone’s advancement status soon. But that was for later.

This was going to be a serious conversation beneath the charm.

Theresa swiftly moved to support her.

“I believe the Empress may require these, Ms. Theresa,” the maid said with a strained smile, holding up the bundle. “I always take a spare outfit for the High Queen due to her…impulsive nature, including appropriate undergarments. Given the Empress is her twin with identical proportions, they should fit perfectly.”

You really did something amazing with her, Butter.

Butter glanced between her maid and her naked sister. “Yes, well, I’d conclude that was due to Blue Eyes’ magnificent soul…”

She trailed off as the two maids handed Elinor the articles, recognizing her independence. During the process, she realized Adoncia had managed to advance to Rare-Grade, F-tier. Elinor kept her focus, though.

When the maids withdrew to stand behind them, Elinor tested the outfit: a rather glamorous dress of royal blue and silk, compared to her typical fashion, but it fit.

Butter cleared her throat, her usual confidence clearly wavering as the weight of what she needed to confess pressed down on her. The guilt radiating through their bond was almost painful in its intensity.

“Well,” Butter said, forcing her characteristic bright tone despite the circumstances. “This is a lovely spot for a picnic. Though I have to say, the ambiance could use work for my taste.”

Elinor didn’t respond, knowing the silence was like an ax to her sister’s throat.

Composure cracking, Butter breathed in deeply and mumbled, “I… There’s something I need to tell you about what happened when I came back through the portal.”

All Elinor had to do was say one word.

“Mika?” 

“Her death…was my fault.” The words tumbled out before Butter could stop them. “Elinor, I should have been more careful, should have sensed the ambush, should have—”

Stop. Elinor’s voice cut through the spiraling guilt within the Nexus, not wanting Shade to have any ammunition to pepper them with. Stop, Butter… This isn’t like you. How bad can it be? Just, tell me what actually happened. Start from the beginning.

“You…are so perfect, Priss…”

Excuse me?

Butter took in a long, shuddering breath, and she saw her twin’s gaze shift to the cloud of death at the center of the valley. Slowly, she took them to the edge of the cliff, Adoncia and Theresa remaining at a distance.

“Nothing… We should go into our Soul Sacrament. I’ll show you it firsthand.”

Watching her golden sister’s pained face, Elinor clasped her hands behind her back and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to be coddled. That would only make her feel like a child. It might have been something she’d do a month or two ago. Not now.

Okay. Pulled into their shared inner world, Elinor opened her eyes to the split castle observation room, the fireplace roaring between their divided keep. Show me…

Butter wiped away the wall in front of them, showing their floating fortress over the internal vision of their empire, and crafted a scene.

“It happened when I came back through the Crystal. I was the first one through, feeling victorious after the conquest. But…when I materialized on this side…”

Elinor listened, sitting beside her twin, watching the scene play out in crystal, painful clarity:

* — * — *

The portal’s energy dissipated around Butter as she emerged into the susime valley, her smile bright with victory. What will Priss think once I return with so many goodies? I might just give her a heart attack! So many bodies and citizens… Hopefully, she hasn’t been lazy. Hmm?

Her brow furrowed as she emerged on the other side.

But something was wrong.

Glancing left and right, obelisks surrounded the portal site—dark, twisted things that pulsed with Death Energy and definitely hadn’t been there when she’d left. The guards she’d kept here were gone.

An ambush!

Just as her energy pulsed to generate a protective barrier, ethereal chains erupted from the ritual circles underneath her, wrapping around her limbs and yanking her toward the center of the array.

“Finally,” a voice hissed from the shadows of the nighttime valley. “The Evening Star returns to face judgment.”

A ri’bot that looked like a desiccated corpse emerged from behind one of the obelisks, his form wreathed in the corrupt power of Seg’tharis. A wall forced its way into her soul, sealing her spiritual pressure. The ritual spear in his hands gleamed with malevolent energy as more chains snaked upward to tear the Eye of Utelira from her throat.

“Jet’tara…” Butter snarled, barely able to so much as speak. “I see you’ve found the time to throw me a welcome party… No smart remarks?”

Her connection to what remained of Utelira’s power was severed. Jet’tara’s smile was vicious. The spear began to glow as he channeled power into it, the ritual circles flaring to life as she caught sight of the orb at its center—it was caging her, draining her.

I can’t access my Seed.

Time slowed.

My spiritual energy is being redirected—not boxed—so there’s a controlled release valve; I can’t break it… How did he understand that nuance? 

Butter’s mind spun, watching the decrepit old toad pull back his arm, her living heart beating faster and faster.

It’s not him I’m being restrained by…but Seg’tharis’ power itself.

Eyes slowly growing wide, she saw the weapon leave Jet’tara’s grip, flying right for her left breast.

Again… How could I have let this happen again?

Mika came through the portal.

Assessing the situation in an instant, her battle-scarred face hardened. Without hesitation, she summoned her torlim cavalry—three massive alligator-toad mounts materializing around her in fighting formation.

“High Queen!” Mika roared as the world moved at a snail’s pace.

Her mounts leaped toward the ritual spear. But the spear moved with unnatural intelligence, weaving around the first mount, dodging the second’s snapping jaws. Jet’tara’s laugh echoed across the valley as Seg’tharis’ power infused with him, brightening the Death circle. His body flaked away, turning to dust as the weapon went directly at Butter’s heart.

Mika was already moving in front of her, leaping forward and summoning her final torlim, right in the spear’s path. The ethereal blade pierced through the materializing mount, converting it to pure emerald flames while driving deep into Mika’s chest, stopping just inches short of Butter’s chest.

“No!” Butter screamed.

Elinor’s chains binding her soul…shattered.

An unseen hook latched onto the woman’s spirit.

And her loyal warrior’s Life Force began to fade.

In that moment of absolute fury, Butter’s soul exploded—no physical action, but a scream from deep within her core.

“Twin Soul Expansion: Heaven’s Domain.”

The Eye of Utelira, within her expanding soul, blazed with the full might of a Supreme Chief’s last legacy. The ethereal chains shattered like glass as her power erupted outward, encompassing the entire valley in a dome of brilliant gold.

Every obelisk in the ritual array evaporated in blinding dust and was swept away on the silver-infused wind. Jet’tara’s scream of rage cut through the air as his decaying form met the same fate.

Butter lurched forward to wrap Mika in her arms, pure unfiltered Life Force igniting inward to pull her back. Yet…even with all of what remained of Utelira’s power, even with the full might of her soul, Mika’s spirit was ripped out of her grasp as chains separated her core essence.

“Mika!”

“High Queen…”

Mika’s voice was fading as she watched dark chains—chains that somehow resisted her expanded soul—wrapped around the dying warrior and dragged her spirit toward a yawning gate beyond mortal comprehension that opened beyond dimensional barriers. 

The ri’bot who had been with her since that first night that she’d awoke in her twin’s soul smiled at her. “I have no fear. I have faith…”

And, with that, Mika was dragged out of her Soul Expanse.

Gone.

Falling to her knees, feeling utterly cold as something reached in and plucked Mika out of her very soul, Butter watched the gate slam shut. Mika’s body ignited in green flames, fading away as her spirit was carried beyond even her reach of resurrection.

“Mika…”

The ritual spear, still embedded in her chest, fell to sink into the earth, carrying with it the twisted fusion of Life and Death energies, but all she could feel was that grip, snatching Mika away from her. 

She’s gone.

Life bloomed all across the valley, vibrant and effulgent. Yet her soul flickered out, Utelira’s gem going dark before shattering. She hardly recognized the spear’s energy spread through the ground nearby, infecting it and creating a pool of hungry death that immediately began consuming the Life Energy she’d poured into the valley.

I…lost her. I lost.

By the time Adoncia and White came through the portal, Butter was on her knees, in a growing circle of decay, tears streaming down her face as she watched the last traces of Mika’s body burn into oblivion.

“I couldn’t save her…”

* — * — *

The vision faded, leaving only silence as Elinor processed the traumatic revelation within their shared soul, feeling the raw emotions of her sister at that time.

Butter sat with her hands pressed to her face, shoulders shaking as she relived the moment all over again. The fireplace crackled between them, but the warmth couldn’t touch the chill that had settled in her chest.

“Those chains…went right through your soul to take her,” she whispered, fist held against her nose as she leaned against her chair, glaring at the repeated scene in slow motion. “It wasn’t Jet’tara’s doing… No, that had to be Nungal.”

“But why? It’s my power. It’s what I do. I am the keeper of life. I…could have saved her if she hadn’t interfered?” Butter coughed. “Why then? I had the power… I could have done it. I thought she… I don’t know what to think about her,” she finished, rubbing at her cheeks.

Elinor stared at the space where the vision had been, her heart feeling the rare instances of pain and connection that came from the connection with her twin.

“Butter…”

She started, then stopped.

What words could possibly address that kind of feeling of violation? Butter’s very existence seemed to revolve around life as hers did death. It was a direct attack on her identity.

“…She smiled at me, Elinor,” Butter whispered, her voice breaking. “Even as those chains dragged her away, she smiled. She had faith in me, and I…” Her hands clenched into fists. “Are my powers a lie? I couldn’t save her. All that power, all that strength, and I was helpless.”

Elinor felt the crack in her chest. Butter was supposed to be the perpetually positive side of their dynamic. But this—watching Mika be torn away by forces beyond comprehension—had broken something fundamental in Butter’s spirit she’d been struggling with since she’d returned.

“Why, Elinor?”

She slowly shook her head, vision rising to see the stilled memory of Mika being dragged into the abyss beyond the gate.

“It could be that we only get one chance to resurrect people in this life. But I’m not sure about anything regarding her, Butter… She’s not the type to remain silent, though. She’ll likely leave a message with Grace.”

Butter took a deep breath and let it go in a long, controlled stream before drying her cheeks, vision hardening. “So, you do have a way to get in contact with her? I wish I had learned that sooner.”

Elinor scratched her eyebrow. “Yes, there are still a lot of things about Kaspir that I haven’t had the chance to update you about…but Grace is a follower of Nungal. In fact, Valentina is slowly gaining powers from her. I’m not so sure if that is a good idea anymore… There isn’t much we can do about her right now, though.”

“Which means…” Butter puffed out a breath. “We need to focus on what we do have control over. I don’t know what his goal was… As you might have noticed, I’ve been a little… sensitive lately. And, I know that is no excuse.”

The event was swept away to reveal the ritual and ri’bot’s focused posture, spear in his hands.

“Not an excuse,” Elinor nodded quietly, her voice careful and measured, “but we are not machines.”

Getting up, Elinor slowly moved to pass into her side of the room, causing her twin’s wet eyes to go wide.

“Priss?”

Gently taking her hand, she drew her up and pulled her into a hug. “I’m here for you, little sister… As decay is closing in and the kiss of deadly silence falls… I will shield you from the darkness when the walls around us quake. I will hold back all those monsters when your tears fall like rain and spare you from the pain until my bones begin to break…and you rise back into heaven in glory to smite our enemies.”

Tremors began to transfer through their souls as Butter’s arms tightened around her back, no words released, only pain.

Time passed by without count, letting the healing light come in as she covered her sister’s vulnerabilities while her sky came crashing in. It wasn’t until Butter quieted and gently drew back that Elinor gave a little space.

“Mika is gone,” Elinor whispered, firm but with a tender smile. “Not as a victim…but whole in faith in you, Sister. This isn’t over. It is only the beginning.”

Aura brightening, her twin’s aquamarine eyes shone with not only grief, but steel. “We have the force to fight. One step back… Two forward.”

“That’s my loud and unbreakable little sister… Don’t think you’re the only one who made mistakes. I have plenty to fix since you’ve been gone.”

“Then…we’ll fix them together.”

Butter did a small hop on her heels and smiled.

“Careful, Priss. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing. Some might think you’re getting soft!”

Elinor showed a tender smile and caringly wiped away the tears from her twin’s cheeks. “You’d be a fool to think I’d show this side of myself to anyone but a special few… I love you, Butter, as much as I might fight it, and how aggravating you are… You’re my little sister.”

“And you’re my perfect, totally unbending big sister that always flicks my forehead…and happens to kill me in every life we’ve lived,” Butter returned with a pained smile. “Often, these days…I wonder how we ended up in this death cycle.”

“Me, too… Me too. And, well, that only shows how good it can feel when we finally get this sisters thing right. Oh, by the way, I have a plan regarding this mass of Death Energy that will require your help.”

“Really?” Butter finished cleaning her cheeks, showing a rosy smile. “I’m all ears!”

“Patience, crybaby,” she said with a gentle headbutt. “First, I should introduce our newest member now. C’mon…”

Leaving their shared Soul Sanctum, she opened her eyes to her curious little sister’s smile.

“You’re hyping them up quite a bit. I’ll have you know that I conducted extensive research when I visited Earth. And, Priss…”

“Hmm?”

Both her maids’ lips parted as Butter threw her arms around her and drew her in, this time in the real world. “I’m so grateful to have you as a big sister… Not Irkalla or whatever previous life we attacked each other over…but you.”

Rubbing her back, Elinor felt the prick on her heart that no one else could give her, not even her parents. “The feeling is mutual, my fatty twin… The feelings I have for you compared to Ashrit are like the divide between the high heavens and underworld… Now, say hello to Tempest.”

She sent a mental call through the Nexus, and Tempest came diving down from his hiding spot higher up the ridge. The wyvern’s massive form blotted out the stars as he descended, his mirror scales catching the moonlight in dazzling patterns.

Butter’s energetic squeal of pure delight echoed through Elinor’s soul—bright and healing. “Oh my goodness, you have a DRAGON! That’s not fair! I want one!”

Eyes twinkling, Elinor grinned, feeling the pride well up within her. “You want a dragon and military helicopters?”

“Yes,” she laughed, dancing over to adore the peacocking wyvern. “He’s so regal and elegant! Call me greedy. I am! I want it all.”

Sighing, Elinor strained a smile. Her spoiled little sister was back.

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